Bed Ridden
by MonkandMiko
Summary: He's lived through a cursed hand, demons, and a hanyou with an attitude-but can our sixteenth century Houshi live through the stimulation of the twentieth century? (MK)
1. A Dream of the Future

General Info: Round Robin #1 for Monk_and_Miko  
  
Title: Bed Ridden  
  
Story Summary: He's lived through a cursed hand, demons and a hanyou with an attitude–but can our sixteenth century Houshi take the stimulation of the twentieth century? [MK]  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Chapter Author: Ms. Videl Son  
  
Chapter Summary: Somehow, Miroku's dreams were never like this before...  
  
Disclaimer: I somehow doubt any of us own InuYasha. If it were so, you could bet that Kagome wouldn't end up with InuYasha...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter One: A Dream of the Future  
  
Startled awake, Miroku's eyes flew open in wild panic. An impossibly white glare burned his retinas and he immediately shut them again, moaning his displeasure.  
  
"Ah..." he complained, squeezing his eyelids closed so that not a shred of light seeped through. Bright spots danced before the black canvas of his closed lids, flaring like angry sun bursts. He lifted his non-cursed hand to rub against his aching eyes, sucking a pained breath through his clenched teeth as the simple movement caused his muscles to complain vociferously.  
  
"Ow..." he complained again, vowing to purify whatever demon had run him over to hell.  
  
"You're awake." a friendly voice chirped. A soft rustling of cloth, a sharp clang of metal against metal and the sweet smell of perfume accompanied the voice as footsteps steadily neared him.  
  
Tentatively, Miroku opened his eyes again, using his hand as a shield against the blinding light. The smiling face of a lovely woman drifted into view, dark almond-shaped eyes peering at him curiously from behind a curtain of soft brown curls that bounced jauntily with each delicate step.  
  
"How are you feeling?" the woman asked, leaning over to place a cool hand against his forehead. Miroku, still in a dazed, sleep-induced stupor, declined comment. The woman laughed. "That good, huh?" she chuckled, adjusting the clasps of the strange necklace around her neck to fit snugly inside her ears.  
  
She lifted the pendulum, a small disk of metal dangling from a rope of unidentifiable substance, and slipped it beneath his garments to place it over his left breast. Miroku made a small gasp of surprise as the cold metal made contact with his skin.  
  
"I'm so sorry." the woman apologized, lifting it to her delectable looking mouth and giving the disk a few warm puffs of breath. She slipped it back underneath his garments, placing it on another spot just above his left pectoral. "These things are always cold. Am I hurting you?"  
  
"Hurt?" Miroku repeated as the haze around his brain lifted somewhat. "I'm hurt?"  
  
A sympathetic look crossed the woman's pleasant face. "Oh, you poor thing!" she cooed. "You have amnesia, don't you?"  
  
"Am...nesia?"  
  
The woman gave another soft coo of sympathy and patted his arm in comfort, carefully avoiding his gloved wrist. She lowered the strange instrument from her ears and allowed the pendulum to dangle around her neck, the metal end hanging provocatively between her...  
  
Miroku blinked a few times to clear the lustful fog that was obscuring his coherent thoughts and glanced around the room. The walls, accounting for the blinding whiteness he'd experienced earlier, were a neutral white color and reflected the sunlight directly into his eyes, intensifying the angry blaze of the natural sun tenfold. A window was to the left of him, open to allow the gentle waft of breeze entrance. Summer was most certainly on its way. Strange objects beeped at him from all sides, the steady beat offering cold reassurance to him.  
  
More interesting scenery, however, was leaning over the strangely raised table to his left, scribbling furiously on a thin piece of parchment enclosed within two metal plates. Her odd kimono was the same pristine white as the room itself and hugged her body like a (very lucky) glove. Had he died and gone to a brothel–erm, heaven?  
  
Wait...did he believe in heaven?  
  
The woman stood, replacing her very odd quill in a pocket on her right breast. A small strip of embroidery on the lip of the pocket said "Yoko."  
  
"I'll go tell the doctor that you're awake." the pretty woman said, flashing him one of her brilliant smiles before flouncing out of the room, shoulder length curls (among other things) bouncing jovially.  
  
"Doc...tor?" Miroku blinked again and shook his head. Surely he was dreaming. Must be induced by some sort of head trauma (she did say he was injured) or just a touch too much sake because, surely, no one was creative enough to think of all this under their own imaginations. Or he truly must have gone to that big (cough, cough), bright brothel in the sky...  
  
His imagination had even gone so far as to place him on a futon–if you could call it a futon, anyway. He was elevated from the floor–hard in texture and the same shade of the walls with just a touch of beige mixed in–and situated so that both he and the futon were in an upright position, mounds of fluffy white things beneath him for comfort. The futon itself was springy, he discovered upon unintentional movement, and was covered by a thin cloth which was tucked securely out of his range of vision to hold it in place. It had a blanket to match, as well as a secondary one which was the most abhorrent shade of pale pink that he had personally ever laid eyes upon.  
  
With the intention of getting up to explore (and possibly find that woman again–after all, how could he waste such a delightful, injury-induced hallucination?), Miroku placed both hands, palm flat, against the futon and pushed against it to gain leverage.  
  
"Ah!" he groaned, falling limply back against the fluffy white things in undeserved pain. Since when did dreams hurt (normally his were quite pleasurable)?!  
  
"Don't move!" another voice scolded with a slightly panicked undertone. "You'll reopen your wound!"  
  
Miroku blinked away the tears of pain his eyes had procured and turned toward the doorway the woman had disappeared through moments before to see–strangely enough–lady Kagome rushing to his aid.  
  
Okay, so his dreams didn't usually involve her. But he'd take it. Now, if he concentrated hard enough, perhaps her clothes would fall off...  
  
"You're injured! You need to lay still!" she scolded, dropping a bouquet of fresh daisies on the small table at his bedside. She prodded his side experimentally and lifted his garments–an odd parchment quality, to be sure–to check his bandages. "I think its alright." she said with relief, lowering his paper robes to properly cover him again.  
  
"Kagome-sama?" Miroku queried groggily, the warm fuzziness still holding his mind captive.  
  
"How are you feeling? Does it hurt anywhere?" she asked as she continued to fuss over him, shifting his face this way and that to get a better look.  
  
She was still fully clothed too. This dream was NOT going his way. Wasn't he supposed to be able to control them or something?  
  
After allowing her to fuss over him for a few moments, Miroku halted her ministrations with a raised hand to indicate silence. "Kagome-sama," Miroku soothed. "Assuming that this is not a dream, where am I?"  
  
Kagome giggled nervously, shifting her gaze away from his. She fidgeted a few moments, obviously at a loss as to how to explain. While she attempted to sum up her thoughts, Miroku looked her over, searching for a way to salvage his hallucinations.  
  
Her clothing was stranger than her usual garb of what she called a "uniform." It consisted of a single piece of lavender fabric that extended just below her knees, little white embroidered flowers circling the hem and necklines (which, sadly, covered her modestly). The sleeves of her garment were missing but, in their place, a gauzy, transparent covering of some kind was wrapped around her, covering her arms and extending to her waist where it was tied securely around her belly in a simple knot. Her hair was tied back, for once, in a simple ponytail secured at the base of her neck, leaving a few tendrils of ebony hair curling around her face. A wide- brimmed straw hat dangled from her arm by it's matching periwinkle ribbon, a few sprigs of baby's breath and purple roses adorning the bow in the back for an extra splash of innocent charm.  
  
"Ah," she began, finally. "You were so badly injured that I didn't think Kaede could heal you, so I brought you here and...." she smiled brightly. "And you're all better!"  
  
The fog lifted and the pieces fell into place. "You mean I'm...I'm..." It was so outrageous; he was having difficulty fathoming such an insight. He looked around again, allowing his surroundings to fully sink in. "You mean I'm not dreaming?"  
  
So much for salvaging this experience, he thought bitterly.  
  
"No." Kagome agreed, placing her flowered hat next to the bouquet on the table. "I passed the nurse outside and she told me you were awake." she added. "You've been asleep for three days."  
  
"Three days?" he repeated, his mind trying to grasp the concept.  
  
Unbidden, flashes of the battle with Naraku's puppet flooded back to him. Angry slashes of earth and fur...dodging fruitlessly...impalement.  
  
With a nervous feeling of apprehension in his gut, Miroku drew back his strange paper coverings.  
  
Kagome fidgeted again. "The doctor said it barely missed your heart. You were lucky it didn't go through to the other side–it grazed your spinal column." she explained. Miroku decided he didn't want to know what a "spinal column" was–surely he didn't need to know exactly how close to death he had been.  
  
"And," he gulped inaudibly, covering his abdomen again. "The others?" Kagome finally met his gaze, a broad smile forcing away any sort of nervous regret or apprehension.  
  
"They're all fine." she affirmed. "You should have seen InuYasha after you...after the puppet..." she nodded pointedly at his chest where the bandages held him together, forcing all organs and fluids to stay within his body. "I didn't really see exactly what happened, but I could see the light from InuYasha's sword as Kirara and I rushed you to the well. Sango told me it was magnificent."  
  
Miroku released a soft sigh of relief–and sucked it back in immediately at the pain that followed. Obviously, he had a few cracked (or broken) ribs as well.  
  
Kagome reached over with concern as he started coughing brokenly, his lungs apparently annoyed at him since they were attempting to flee his body through his mouth. She lifted him gently away from his pillows and rubbed slow circles between his shoulder blades, soothing his angry hacking into a soft tickle in his throat.  
  
"Are you alright?" she asked as his breathing slowed, still rubbing the slow circles into his back. Miroku nodded weakly, expelling the last weak cough from his body. Kagome helped him back onto his pillows, instructing him sternly not to strain himself and make her worry any more than he had to. The last part made him smile.  
  
Always so concerned about everyone's welfare. Some days he thought she would even comfort Naraku after a nasty splinter from one of his wooden puppets.  
  
"I am fine, Kagome-sama." he assured her, assuaging her frantic worries over his well being. "I take it that InuYasha is enraged at yet another delay in the shard hunt?"  
  
Kagome's smile relit her face momentarily. "Yeah, but he'll get over it. And if he doesn't, I'll you-know-what him until he digs himself a hole to America." she said, laughing at the puzzled look on his face. "It's a future thing." she explained.  
  
"Ah." Miroku said, nodding his understanding. "I assume that you will not let me go back home for a while yet."  
  
"Not until you heal." Kagome agreed cheerfully, absently reaching behind him to fluff his pillows. "Until then, you can stay at the shrine. The doctor says you should be back on your feet in about two months."  
  
Miroku sat up, immediately regretting it. Kagome pushed the wincing monk back down and scolded him again. "Two months? We don't have two months!"  
  
"Shh!" Kagome calmed him, forcing him back down gently. "InuYasha and Sango have promised to continue the shard hunt in your absence. I'll be going back occasionally to help them. It'll be just fine."  
  
"But–"  
  
Any further protests on Miroku's part were cut off by another untimely intrusion. "Higurashi-san?"  
  
It was the woman again. The one Kagome identified as "nurse."  
  
Kagome looked up at the mention of her sur name "Yes?"  
  
"Ah, your," she glanced down at the piece of folded metal in her hands, opening it to scan down her sheet of thin parchment. "Cousin needs a sponge bath and his bandages changed."  
  
"By you?" Miroku couldn't help but ask, his most charming smile worming its way onto his face to accompany the twinkle in his eye. The nurse chuckled, her face flushing prettily.  
  
"Yes, sir." she agreed. Miroku grinned but faltered at the cold look Kagome was sending his way.  
  
"That's alright," Kagome declined. "We'll be taking him home this afternoon. The doctor says it's alright for him to be moved."  
  
The nurse looked slightly disappointed (what with the bad case of falling-in-love-with-her-sad-pitiful-patient inhibiting her thought processes) but Miroku was devastated.  
  
"But, Kagome-sama–"  
  
Kagome pinched his cursed arm viciously, the strained smile still plastered over her features. "Don't worry, cousin. We'll take good care of you." she promised, the words leaking through her teeth threateningly. It was Miroku's turn to feel nervous.  
  
"Yes, Kagome-sama."  
  
So much for dreams becoming reality, Miroku thought with a dejected sigh. He watched the nurse leave with a forlorn look as Kagome chattered happily away at him once more, detailing all the things and events that she'd have to show him while he was here. He hadn't absorbed more than a word or two of it–something about "strawberry pocky" and "karaoke."  
  
What a long two months they were going to be.  
  
Sigh.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Next Author: Horridporrid  
  
General group info: This Round Robin competition is sponsored by the members of Monk_and_Miko Yahoo! Group, a fan listing of the InuYasha pairing of Miroku/Kagome. The group features fan fiction, fan art, links, chat, contests, and social interaction with other Miroku/Kagome fans. To join, click here: monkandmiko-subscribe@yahoogroups.com 


	2. A Touch of Green

General Info: Round Robin #1 for Monk_and_Miko  
  
Title: Bed Ridden  
  
Summary: He's lived through cursed hands, demons and a hanyou with an attitude–but can our sixteenth century Houshi take the stimulation of the twentieth century? [MK)  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Chapter Author: Horridporrid  
  
Chapter Summary: Nakedness, nurses and numbers - oh my!  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine. Not even after incessant begging.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter Two: A Touch of Green  
  
Kagome leaned on the counter at the nurses' station as the woman behind it finished up her phone call. "Now you're sure they know there'll be lifting involved?" she asked anxiously. "It's a really huge amount of stairs."  
  
The nurse gave her a kind smile. "Don't worry, miss. Our drivers know what they're doing." Kagome started to ask another question, but her mother's hand on her shoulder stopped her. "It's all under control, Kagome," her mother said soothingly. "Why don't you bring my young nephew his clothes."  
  
Taking the proffered shopping bag from her mother, Kagome took a deep breath. Her mother rubbed her shoulder affectionately and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "It's alright now, darling," she murmured. "Let's get him home."  
  
Blinking back a sudden prickling of tears, Kagome nodded in agreement. She smiled at her mom and than had to bite back a giggle when her mom gave her a conspiratorial wink. Her mother had taken to the whole deception thing like a duck to water, and seemed to be getting quite a kick out of it. On the second day, when they were confident of Miroku's recovery, she'd started remarking often and loudly about her poor injured nephew. She'd spoken at length about how awful it was that her sister couldn't be here and what an unfortunate accident her nephew had been in and how he was the apple of his grandfather's eye. The entire waiting room had been comforting her and telling her what a kind and thoughtful aunt she was.  
  
It was a side of her mother Kagome had never seen. And it was more than a little scary. Especially since whatever excuse she'd come up with for Miroku's protective glove had worked so well. The entire hospital staff avoided his gloved hand like it contained a plague. Which, in a manner of speaking, it did.  
  
But scary or no, Kagome was very grateful for her mother's continued presence. Kagome had been next to useless when the ambulance came to swoop Miroku away. He'd been so pale and still. She'd been horribly certain he was already dead, certain that she'd been too slow. She'd stood there, covered with his life's blood, staring after the ambulance, unable to move. Her mother had been the one to bundle them into a cab, the one to chivy the driver into breaking several traffic laws in order to keep up with the speeding ambulance. Her mother had talked to the doctors and nurses, filled in the paperwork, held Kagome close when it had looked like he wasn't going to make it, and then sent her home to sleep when he finally pulled through. Honestly, without her mother's help, Kagome didn't think she could've survived the past three days.  
  
Walking down the hallway to Miroku's room, Kagome could feel a smile spreading across her face. She'd finally gone back through the well this morning. And it had been so wonderful to tell them all the good news. Even Inuyasha had looked pleased, and poor Shippou had burst into relieved tears. The past three days had definitely been hell, but Miroku was okay, and he was coming home, and at this moment, she honestly felt like nothing would ever bother her again.  
  
Okay, so she'd been wrong: she hadn't counted on Miroku's libido. When she entered his room, there was a nurse bent over his bed, her body blocking Kagome from seeing what they were doing. The quiet giggles and softly murmured words gave Kagome a pretty good idea, however. Especially when Miroku's hand slipped around the nurse's waist and slid down to rub her bottom suggestively. A few days from death's door and the darn pervert was already hitting on someone. And from the continued giggles, the nurse didn't mind at all.  
  
"Ahem!" Kagome smiled grimly when the nurse leapt away from her 'patient' and turned around guiltily. Ah yes, Nurse Sponge-bath – she should have guessed. Not many women with a bum that size had the courage to run around in such a tight uniform. At least she had the grace to look a bit abashed; Miroku just looked smug. "I've brought my dear cousin his clothes," Kagome said with forced sweetness.  
  
"Oh! Yes, of course," Nurse Sponge-bath said, confidence returning with every word. "I'll just help him get dressed then."  
  
"I'm sure he can manage on his own," Kagome said through gritted teeth and a strained smile.  
  
"I wouldn't hear of it," the nurse said with a fiercely sweet smile of her own. "I would hate for him to re-injure himself."  
  
"You may both assist me, if you wish." Miroku didn't even look embarrassed. In fact when Kagome gave him her best glare, he had the audacity to wink at her. "I could probably use all the help I can get," he added smoothly.  
  
Nurse Sponge-bath let out an affected giggle. "Oh you," she said with a sickening coo, patting Miroku on the cheek. "You're incorrigible." She turned back to Kagome. "This will just take a minute, dear. I'll bring him out when we're done." Then she grabbed the bag of clothing out of Kagome's hand, and briskly pulled the privacy curtain closed, effectively shutting Kagome out.  
  
Kagome muttered her way back up the hallway to the waiting room and her mother. "That nurse with the bad perm is getting him dressed," she said sullenly.  
  
"Do you mean Nurse Yoko?" her mother asked. "I think that's her natural..." Her mother trailed off as she got a better look at Kagome's face. "Um, yes, alright," she said simply. "Well, the van is already here, so as soon as he's ready, we can go."  
  
After what seemed like forever, but was probably only a few minutes, Nurse Sponge-bath, or Yoko, or whatever finally wheeled Miroku out. She was pressing a small slip of paper into his hand, and he was looking a little bewildered, but Kagome was too distracted by his outfit to really notice. "Oh dear," her mother said quietly. "He's much taller than I realized."  
  
That was readily apparent. Her mother had gone for comfort in her shopping choices. The soft blue cotton shirt would be easy on his bandaged chest, and the front buttons meant he didn't have to raise his arms to get dressed. But the sleeves didn't come close to reaching his wrists. And the black sweat pants were short too, stopping only a few inches below Miroku's knees. And he was wearing bright, white tube socks pulled all the way up to keep his legs warm. And sandals.  
  
Desperately, Kagome held her breath. She must not laugh. She couldn't laugh. It was cruel and unusual and Miroku had no idea and so she would. Not. Laugh.  
  
"Are you alright, Kagome? You seem to be choking." Miroku stared up at her with concerned eyes, and those impossibly white tube socks, and Kagome squeaked, she couldn't help it.  
  
"I -- I'll meet you," she gasped. And with a last frantic look at her mother, she ran for the stairwell, not stopping until she'd pushed through the front doors and finally stood outside in the sun, where she could allow the peels of helpless laughter to escape. After a moment she covered her face with her hands and willed herself back under control. Because the laughter suddenly wanted to turn into tears, and once that started, Kagome wasn't sure she'd ever be able to stop.  
  
The past three days had brought with them an overwhelming amount of stress. From the moment Miroku had collapsed under the Naraku puppet's assault, blood spreading from a much too large wound, face horribly pale, terror had been Kagome's constant companion.  
  
The panicked flight from the scene of battle to Lady Kaede's house, Miroku slumped bonelessly in her arms; the hopeless way Lady Kaede had shaken her head when she saw Miroku's broken body; the desperate leap from Kirara's back into the well, refusing to contemplate the possibility that the magic might not work for the monk; all of it blended into a nightmarish mix that Kagome was sure would haunt her dreams for a long time to come. One thing she did know, she really, really hated the smell of blood.  
  
But he was alive, she reminded herself. He was alive and he was going to get better and the doctors said he'd be up and walking in no time. Soon none of the women in Tokyo were going to be safe. And strangely enough, that thought helped. Giggling to herself, Kagome looked up and saw her mother wheel Miroku out of the hospital and over to a waiting van. Miroku was squinting up at the trees and looking in amazement at the tall buildings and he was alive and aware and he looked wonderful, even with the old man outfit. It didn't matter how scared she'd been before, Miroku was going to be fine.  
  
"Are you feeling better, Kagome?" Miroku asked concernedly when she joined them.  
  
"Oh yes," she replied, smiling softly down at him. "Much better."  
  
The trip from the hospital back to the shrine went surprisingly quickly. The driver maneuvered the van through the crowded city streets with the adroitness of someone who'd handled Tokyo traffic for years. Not much was said. Miroku was too busy trying to look in every direction at once, and Kagome was afraid that any conversation would end up with weird looks from the driver and his assistant. Miroku did take time away from his staring to show Kagome the slip of paper she'd seen the nurse give him.  
  
"She'd said she could give me some private assistance, and then she gave me this. I recognize her name, but what does this stuff mean?" Kagome stared down at the paper and frowned. The nurse was shameless apparently. And Miroku had never seen Arabic numbers before. Kagome squelched a suddenly strong temptation to lie. "It's her phone number," she said reluctantly and then noticed the assistant glancing back at them. "I'll explain later," she whispered.  
  
Miroku looked a bit confused, but he quietly returned to staring out the window, and Kagome made a mental list of reasons why losing the nurse's number would really be in Miroku's best interests. Once they arrived at the shrine the driver and his assistant hefted Miroku and his wheelchair up the long flight of stairs with much more ease than she and her mother would have managed. "Gosh, thank you so much. I don't know what we would have done without your help," Kagome said to the two men when they were done and taking a moment to catch their breath.  
  
"It was no problem, miss," the younger of the two said, smiling down at her. "Is your cousin enrolled in any of the special programs they got going? We drive for them a lot of times."  
  
"Eh..." Kagome blinked up at the young man. What did he mean by 'special programs'?  
  
"Yeah, they go to the zoo or the park or even a ball game sometimes."  
  
And now Kagome realized what the man was saying. She looked over at Miroku, who was waving her mother off and glowering at her for some reason. She took note of his ridiculous outfit. And she remembered how he'd stared out at the city with wide-eyed wonder, and how he didn't know what a telephone number was. She ducked her head to hide her sudden grin. "Oh. That's really good to know," she said. "Yes, we'll have to look into it."  
  
The man gave her a dazzling smile. "Hey, if you'd like, I get off in a couple of hours, we could go out for coffee and I could tell you about the different programs that are out there. It's really neat what's being offered the developmentally disabled nowadays."  
  
Flustered by the sudden invitation, and working on way too little sleep, Kagome was reduced to blushing and stammering. "Oh, I don't think... My cousin just got home, so...'  
  
"Oh, sure, sure." He grinned easily. "Another time then."  
  
Kagome smiled in her best noncommittal way. "Mmm, well, I'd better get him inside. Thanks again for all your help."  
  
The two men headed back down to their van and Kagome hurried over to Miroku. Who was still frowning at her.  
  
"Sorry to drag you away from your flirting," he said sullenly.  
  
"Flirting! That wasn't flirting."  
  
"He was picturing you naked."  
  
"He was not!"  
  
Miroku gave a long suffering sigh. "Believe me, Kagome. I know that look. He was picturing you naked and you just encouraged him. No wonder Inuyasha doesn't like you coming back here." Kagome stared at Miroku, completely speechless.  
  
"I know that look too. And it's very wrong to contemplate hurting someone who's already injured," Miroku said piously. "And hungry," he added.  
  
"Oh don't worry, Miroku," Kagome said sweetly as she pushed him into the house. "I'll let my mother feed you first. And then I'll hurt you"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Next Author: Rurouni Star  
  
General Group Info: General group info: This Round Robin competition is sponsored by the members of Monk_and_Miko Yahoo! Group, a fan listing of the InuYasha pairing of Miroku/Kagome. The group features fan fiction, fan art, links, chat, contests, and social interaction with other Miroku/Kagome fans. To join, click here: monkandmiko-subscribe@yahoogroups.com 


	3. Blacked Out

General Info: Round Robin #1 for Monk_and_Miko  
  
Title: Bed Ridden  
  
Summary: He's lived through a cursed hand, demons, and a hanyou with an attitude-but can our sixteenth century Houshi take the stimulation of the twentieth century? (MK)  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Chapter Author: Rurouni Star  
  
Chapter Summary: Darkness, opportunities, and things that go bump in the night. (get those nasty thoughts out of your head, Miroku!)  
  
Disclaimer: No. I wish, I wish, I wish, but no.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 3: Blacked Out  
  
Dinner at home was much better than she could remember it being. It must have been partially the fault of bad hospital food (which, she wished she could guiltlessly remind Miroku, was his fault) and partially the fault of the very polite, very well-spoken monk that had joined them at the table.  
  
He was acting... almost normal. Miroku slid near effortlessly, almost disturbingly well, into their family. As though he really was a part of it, one that had just been missing for a bit– perhaps on vacation. As though the dish her mother set out for him had been waiting just for him.  
  
Kagome chanced a look his way, some strange curiosity driving her to see it again.  
  
"Amazing," Miroku said, not a little bit of mirth masked beneath the tone of voice. "So your highest score is... three trillion, five hundred billion..." he trailed off suggestively, as though he had lost track.  
  
Souta took him up eagerly. "Sixty thousand and four!" the boy finished proudly. "And I got that in two days!"  
  
The monk was trying hard to look impressed, she could tell. The edges of his mouth quivered with the effort of holding in a smile – she'd seen the expression on him before, when Inuyasha had lost a fish and been pulled in after it... when Shippo had shown those awful drawings to him and he'd purposely complimented the cat within her hearing range.  
  
Though she'd meant to look away again, Kagome found herself mesmerized by the chance– the hope – that maybe he really would smile at some point instead of making everyone else smile for him.  
  
And that just led to the shocking thought that not only was he much too mature and much too comfortable with her family... but he was still a teen. Only about three years older than her.  
  
"...and what would your high score be, Kagome-sama?"  
  
She blinked and felt the blood rush instantly to her face. They were looking at her now...had she been caught?  
  
Miroku awaited her answer patiently, however – apparently he hadn't caught onto her embarrassing slipup.  
  
"In Super Undead Ninja Vampires?" she asked skeptically.  
  
Souta snorted. "Sis doesn't play those games. She says they're really immature."  
  
Kagome rolled her eyes. "They are. Whoever heard of a whole clan lucky enough to learn to be shinobi and all get bitten by vampires?"  
  
Her little brother frowned. "I told you it was all a conspiracy by the big bad guy...whatever. You're just scared to play me."  
  
Miroku chuckled. "Somehow I don't think that's the case," he murmured.  
  
Souta looked at him with a crestfallen face. "So you do think it's immature?"  
  
The priest was caught by surprise. Apparently, he hadn't been expecting the boy to hear him. "Oh – no!" he hastened to assure him. "No, not at all." Miroku paused. "I just haven't known Kagome-sama to be frightened of very much at all."  
  
Kagome's mother smiled warmly. "That's awfully nice of you to say so," Mrs. Higurashi said. "But I seem to remember a time when she was six-"  
  
"Ah! No, mom, you wouldn't!" Kagome panicked. Ugh, did she have to talk about this with every guest she ever had over?  
  
"Oh?" Miroku asked, a note of interest in his voice. "What's this?"  
  
Mrs. Higurashi brightened, but Kagome's grandfather beat her to the story. "Why, she saw a movie once when she was watching TV... it had her so scared, she had to have us check under her bed for monsters for months afterward! In fact, I'd almost think her fear of the dark comes from that one..."  
  
Kagome moaned. It was a double whammy now. She would never live this one down. She dared to look up from the comfortable darkness of her crossed arms, only to find Miroku holding that laughter in again – just in relation to her this time. It wasn't so amusing when it was directed at you...  
  
"Fine," she said sullenly. "Laugh it up, why don't you? I happen to know a certain priest that's deathly afraid of snails..."  
  
Miroku twitched, the almost-smile gone again. "That was completely uncalled for," he muttered.  
  
"Well," she announced loudly, mostly to let everyone know she was unhappy at the moment. "I'm going up to take my shower. Thank you for the food."  
  
With that, she slid from beneath the traditional floor-table (usually only used for formal occasions, but set out to accommodate Miroku this time around) and walked out the door of the kitchen. The door slid shut behind her with the snap! that heralded a short sulk in a warm bath.  
  
There was a short silence at the table.  
  
And then:  
  
"Wanna play me at Super Undead Ninja Vampires?" Souta asked hopefully.  
  
Miroku tore his hungry gaze from the door (he was sure she'd mentioned the shower as an artificial hot spring once or twice!) and grinned.  
  
"You're on."  
  
**  
  
Kagome hummed quietly to herself as she soaked wearily in the tub. She hadn't realized precisely how tense she had been until her body hit the hot water – and went utterly limp with relief.  
  
Well, hovering over a half dead friend for three days tended to do that to you, she thought tiredly to herself. God, if it had been just a little off... if it had hit the wrong place...  
  
"He wouldn't be here," she whispered.  
  
A rumble of thunder punctuated the statement eerily.  
  
It was a revelation; for all that it had been a revelation the first time she'd thought about it and the tenth and the hundredth. Having a hole in his hand was one thing – they could do something about that – but dying in battle...  
  
She'd drawn her legs up in front of her before the thought could even complete itself, a sniffle forcing its way from her body. Miroku – kind, wise, invincible, wise-cracking, impious sometimes-jerk – he'd almost died. Died young, she realized, the terrible idea having to form all over again just to accommodate the new concept.  
  
Dimly, the thought crossed her mind that he had to have been thinking the same thoughts even as he woke up in that unfamiliar hospital bed; actually, it was possible that he thought them every day. How utterly depressing. And how utterly enlightening. The tap-tap-tap of raindrops on the roof made her shiver. At least... she thought it was the weather that made her shiver.  
  
"Hmmph," she muttered, hands tightening over her legs. "Keep things in perspective, Kagome. He's a pervert. He's bugged at least twenty women about bearing his child." The comfortable reality snapped back for a moment, the tingly ideals she held of all of her companions reformed in her mind. But it couldn't possibly hold beneath the new fright. I don't... I don't want him to die. I don't want anyone to die. But I didn't think it was really possible up until now...  
  
No, Miroku just wasn't the type to die. If such a thing existed.  
  
It was with this thought firmly in mind (notgonnadie, notgonnadie) that she rose from the tub, intent on apologizing for her rude exit from the table. Kagome's hand reached for a towel...  
  
And the lights flickered unexpectedly.  
  
She froze.  
  
**  
  
"Hah! I've nearly got you!"  
  
Miroku squinted at the screen as though it would reveal some new secret to him as to why Souta had pulled him down to a mere six hit points while the boy himself still retained a full twenty.  
  
Nothing made itself immediately clear.  
  
The monk sighed, ready to try the last ditch attack – distraction and destruction. His arm snaked behind the boy, ready to tap his other shoulder...  
  
There was a fizzling sound – and a clap of thunder.  
  
The screen blinked once.  
  
And the undead ninja stopped moving.  
  
"Oh man!" Souta complained loudly. "It's frozen!" He leapt up from his seat, moving for the reset button-  
  
And the room went completely dark.  
  
Miroku closed his eyes tightly, surprised, and then blinked furiously to adjust them. There was... a black shape here and there... perhaps a Souta- shaped blob...  
  
A blood-curdling scream rent the air.  
  
The priest leapt to his feet immediately, a bolt of concern going through him. Well... so he was aware that this might be his only chance ever to innocently barge in on a bathing Kagome. But that was, as they said, all in the details. Before Souta could say a word, he was rushing up the stairs, calling. "Kagome! Kagome, are you all right?" He came to the door they'd specified as the bathroom and bit his lip, wondering if he might knock first.  
  
"Sh-shit! Don't! Don't come in!" Miroku blinked, shocked to hear such language from the girl that had constantly admonished Inuyasha about his own cursing.  
  
He didn't have to wait long for the door to bolt open, though. A dark, wet shape hurtled through it – and hit him dead on.  
  
Another scream, this time much too close to his ears for comfort. Miroku held onto Kagome's thrashing form tightly, though, trying desperately to hush her as he held her by the shoulders.  
  
"It's okay, Kagome-sama, it's just me."  
  
The girl moaned. "Oh god, don't scare me like that! I thought..."  
  
He finally smiled, but it wasn't visible in the darkness (no, no, don't think about the darkness...) "You thought I was the monster from under your bed?" he asked mildly. "Perhaps that I had manufactured this voice to pull you out from the bathroom and eat you?"  
  
Miroku could feel her glare, even if he couldn't see it.  
  
Kagome pulled an arm away from him to hitch up her towel uncomfortably. He realized this with a blink of unexpected pleasure.  
  
But she was saying something now, just beneath her breath. As though she didn't want him to hear, but at the same time didn't want to stay quiet beneath the humiliation of his tease.  
  
"What was that?" he asked, genuinely concerned now despite himself.  
  
"I..." She shifted, the one arm still in his grip quivering. "I thought you might be Naraku."  
  
He blinked.  
  
"Ah... Kagome-sama..."  
  
"I know!" she snapped. "I know he's five hundred years away, okay? It's just... the dark does weird things to me. I start thinking stuff that couldn't possibly be true and all kinds of silly idiociEEES!" Her voice squeaked as he slipped an arm around her comfortingly, squeezing her shoulder gently.  
  
There was a short silence, in which she thought he might be contemplating slipping the hand lower. But... "Don't worry," he murmured cryptically. "That... happens to all of us."  
  
Kagome blushed, and for a moment, she found herself wondering whether he was going to take advantage of the (obviously) dangerous situation. But... his hand seemed to stay put. Well. As though that weren't bad enough.  
  
The girl found though, to her surprise, that the will to move just wasn't there. The dark was out there. But here... strangely, even though it was still dark with that hand on her shoulder, here it was warm and safe. Something inside of her muttered about having to go see a psychologist soon. When had she ever thought of Miroku as safe?  
  
Drip. Drip. Drip.  
  
She sighed. She still had to get dressed.  
  
Something she really wasn't sure how she'd managed to forget in Miroku's presence. "Thanks..." Kagome said uneasily. "I'm sorry, though. About earlier. I shouldn't have gotten so angry about such a stupid thing. Besides, it's true."  
  
He arched an eyebrow, and she wondered for a moment if it was a good thing that she was close enough to see it. "About the phobia or that there's really a monster under your bed?"  
  
Kagome made a disgusted noise and pushed him away hard.  
  
A gasp of pain made her curse herself a moment later.  
  
"Ah! I am so, so, so sorry! I didn't mean to do that!" She knelt beside his slumped figure, panicked. ...right until she felt the questing hand on the outside of her towel... on her backside... She twitched.  
  
A yell of a completely different sort came down the stairs then, just as Souta finished lighting the last candle his mother had told him to. He decided he didn't want to know. Besides, they were in for a long, long night. Especially without Super Undead Ninja Vampires... what a bummer.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Next Author: Crash  
  
General Group Info: This Round Robin competition is sponsored by the members of Monk_and_Miko Yahoo! Group, a fan listing of the InuYasha pairing of Miroku/Kagome. The group features fan fiction, fan art, links, chat, contests, and social interaction with other Miroku/Kagome fans. To Join, click here: monkandmiko-subscribe@yahoogroups.com 


	4. World Wide Warped

General Info: Round Robin #1 of Monk_and_Miko  
  
Title: Bed Ridden  
  
Summary: He's lived through a cursed hand, demons, and a hanyou with an attitude-but can our sixteenth century Houshi live through the stimulation of the twentieth century? (MK)  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Chapter Author: Crash  
  
Chapter Summary: Miroku discovers the world of the internet. And what is this mysterious site he's been spending all his time at?  
  
Disclaimer: I hold no rights to Inuyasha in anyway.  
  
Warning: Slight adult content at the end of the chapter. Still very PG. PG- 13 at the most.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 4: World Wide Warped  
  
Kagome was amazed. Miroku caught on quite quickly. In just three days, he had learned how to operate almost every appliance in her house, including the rather complicated computer. Originally, she hadn't planned on showing him, but he had spied her starting it up, so she could do some research for a project, and hadn't stopped bugging her until she showed him how to work it. Fortunately, at the same time, she had managed to do enough research that she finished her project that night.  
  
At least she had told him he couldn't get on the computer or internet without someone of her family being with him, so he wouldn't stumble onto any inappropriate sites. She shuddered at the mere thought of Miroku floating happily around some porno site. She'd never get him off the computer again if he ever found out about that.  
  
As it was, he spent most of his free time on the computer now. Between meditating with Jii-chan, playing video games with Souta, and helping `Auntie Risa,' as Miroku now called Kagome's mother, in the kitchen. He would even help Jii-chan in the shrine's shop on occasion. But the rest of the time, he and Souta were goofing off on the computer. Most of the time when she saw them, they were playing some pinball game.  
  
A few days later, Kagome came home from school, wanting to get on the computer so she could do some research for yet another report she had to write for class, this one a history paper. She sighed as she kicked her shoes off at the front door, calling out a quick `tadaima' and headed for the computer to get started on her schoolwork. If only the paper had been on the feudal era, she'd be all set. No, it had to be on WWII and Japan's involvement in the war.  
  
Stepping into the room, she expected to see the computer sitting there, shut down and covered, like it was suppose to be. Instead, there sitting in front of the monitor was Miroku. By himself. As she walked up behind him, she peeked at the monitor, hoping she wouldn't see some grotesque image of sex on the screen. Instead, she was shocked when she saw no flesh at all, but the background of the computer screen. Apparently Miroku had closed whatever he was doing, because it suddenly disappeared from the screen and he turned to face her with his usual expression in place. No happy lecherous smile. Not even a lecherous twinkle in his eyes.  
  
"I thought I told you I wanted someone in here with you when you're on the computer," Kagome began. "What if something had happened to you?"  
  
"Ah, Kagome-sama, it warms my heart when you worry for me as such. But I assure you, no harm would have come to me simply sitting here," he told her. "Besides, Auntie Risa said it would be fine for me to be in here alone."  
  
Kagome wanted to growl at the monk. He had gone over her head, and gone to her mother. She almost whimpered. Her mother didn't know Miroku like she did. Hopefully, he would refrain from corrupting her brother until Souta was much older. Preferably, when Souta was about a hundred and three.  
  
"So, what were you doing in here before I came in," Kagome asked. She was just glad she hadn't shown him how to erase the history of what site's he'd visited.  
  
"Oh, just this rather humorous site I found while, what did you call it, surfing," he replied.  
  
Well, he certainly was learning how to speak in the future. But she still found it rather disturbing how well he just slipped into her life. "Well, you'll have to show me sometime if it's so funny. But right now, I need to use the computer to do some research for another class report. So, if you could leave me to my work for a while, I'd appreciate it. I'm sure Jii-chan would love some help out in the shop," she said as she pulled the wheeled chair Miroku sat in away from the computer.  
  
"Before I leave, Kagome-sama, I have a question," he said, and mentally grinned when she nodded for him to continue. "Do you sleep on your stomach," Miroku questioned.  
  
Kagome raised an eyebrow at his weird question. She had almost been expecting his usual `will you bare my child' line. This was something entirely new.  
  
"Uh, no, not really," she replied, trying to maintain eye contact with him and watch where his hands were as well. Oddly enough, they stayed on the arms of the chair.  
  
"In that case, may I," Miroku replied.  
  
Kagome was totally confused now. "May you what?" She all too late noticed the lecherous twinkle in his eye and the cocky grin that now inhabited his lips.  
  
"May I sleep on your stomach?"  
  
Kagome's eye twitched. "Miroku," she said in a singsong sweet voice.  
  
Miroku fought the urge to flinch at the tone of her voice. That was the tone she used when she was about to sit Inuyasha. "Yes," he replied, sounding innocent.  
  
"As soon as you're completely healed," Kagome said.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I'm going to beat you bloody," she yelled at him before she pulled him from the chair and pushed him into the hallway, slamming the door on his nose.  
  
"It was just an innocent question," Miroku muttered silently as he turned and made his way out to the shop, intent on helping Jii-chan.  
  
~*~  
  
Inside the room, Kagome was fuming. `The nerve of that perverted monk,' she growled mentally. She allowed her anger to burn for a few minutes more, until she decided she needed to get to work on her project so she could finish it and hand it in early.  
  
Sitting herself down in front of the computer, she quickly connected to the internet, and clicked the history button when the browser came up. She was shocked to see only two sites visited, the preset homepage, and another that she didn't know what it was. She clicked it, and was taken to the page.  
  
"The Most Complete and Most Useless Collection of Pick-Up Lines," Kagome read the title out loud. "Oh Kami-sama. That's what he's been doing on here. Reading pick-up lines." Kagome covered her face with her hands and groaned.  
  
~*~  
  
Hours later, Kagome emerged from the computer room, a large stack of papers in her hands, her bag over her shoulder, as she made her way to her room. She placed the papers on her desk with a slight yawn, put her bag in her chair, and went down for dinner with her family. Wearily, she entered the kitchen, grabbed the dishes she needed, went into the dining room, and set the table before taking her seat at the table.  
  
Moments later, Souta and Miroku came in from the living room, where they had been playing another exciting round of Super Undead Ninja Vampires, or so it seemed to Kagome, since she could hardly make out Souta's excited chatter. Jii-chan came in after closing up the shop for the night, and Kagome decided to go help her mother bring the food out to the table.  
  
After everyone was seated and they began eating, the conversation began. For a while, the conversation concentrated on Souta. But after a while, his chatter turned to his video game, so Miroku, when Souta paused to breathe, turned to Kagome.  
  
"Did you get all the research you needed done?"  
  
"I think so. I printed out a lot of information. It should be enough for me write my report," Kagome replied.  
  
"What is your report on dear," her mother asked.  
  
"Japan's involvement in WWII," Kagome answered, and immediately yawned afterwards. "Too bad it wasn't on the feudal era."  
  
Kagome spied Jii-chan opening his mouth, looking like he was about to start in on another one of his `historical importance' speeches, but she cut him off. "Well, I'm really tired, and I've still got some schoolwork to do before I go to sleep tonight," Kagome said as she stacked her dishes and stood up. "So, I'm going to go to bed." She carried her dishes into the kitchen, and then headed towards her room.  
  
A while later, a light knock came at her door, startling her out of her thoughts. She turned towards the door and called for the person to come in, expecting her mother, or possibly her little brother to come in and say their `goodnights' to her before they went to bed. She did not expect Miroku to open the door, walk in, and close it firmly behind himself before crossing the room to stand next to her desk.  
  
She watched him as he crossed her room, swiveling her chair to keep her eyes on him as he stood next to her desk. Kagome patiently waited for Miroku to speak up.  
  
He placed his palms on her desk and leaned back against the wooden object. "You know, you never really answered my question earlier," he said after a minute, looking her in the eye.  
  
Kagome looked at him curiously for a moment before remembering the incident in the computer room earlier, causing her to blush slightly. "Really, I thought I made it pretty clear before," she replied. She tried to reach around him, trying to reach her books she had abandoned when he had knocked, but he slid over slightly, blocking her way.  
  
"No, you just said that after I was healed, you would beat me. I don't remember hearing a definite answer to my question. So, I ask again, may I sleep on your stomach? I'm sure it would be quite pleasurable for us both," Miroku said, looking rather respectable despite what he was implying.  
  
Kagome stood up rather abruptly and glared at the monk. "No, you can't sleep on my stomach," Kagome hissed, "for several reasons."  
  
Miroku took one step closer. "Name one reason why not," he demanded, his _expression becoming completely serious.  
  
Kagome stuttered for a moment, trying to think, not expecting him to actually demand to know. "Because, my family would hear," she said.  
  
Miroku smiled, really smiled. It wasn't one of his charming-your-pants- off smiles, or one of his conning-you-out-of-your-money smiles, or even one of his half-there smiles. It was a real smile. The first she had ever seen grace his lips. He took one step closer, still smiling.  
  
"Is that all? I know of a way to keep quiet," he said, his voice velvet smooth.  
  
And with that, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulled her to him, and kissed her firmly on the lips.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
End Note: For those that would like to know, the pick-up lines site is real. Here's the link for it: 1. Oh, and yes, Risa is a real Japanese name.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Next Author: Ms. Videl Son  
  
General Group Info: This Round Robin competition is sponsored by the members of Monk_and_Miko Yahoo! Group, a fan listing of the InuYasha pairing of Miroku/Kagome. The group features fan fiction, fan art, links, chat, contests, and social interaction with other Miroku/Kagome fans. To Join, click here: monkandmiko-subscribe@yahoogroups.com 


	5. Kiss and Tell

General Info: Round Robin #1 for Monk_and_Miko  
  
Title: Bed Ridden  
  
Summary: He's lived through a cursed hand, demon, and a hanyou with an attitude-but can our sixteenth century Houshi live through the stimulation of the twentieth century? (MK)  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Chapter Author: Ms. Videl Son  
  
Chapter Summary: Kagome's friends muse on how Kagome could have contracted mono...  
  
Disclaimer: *sticks a little flag in the top of Inuyasha's head* I claim him in the name of Mary!! (Which happens to be my name, btw)  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 5: Kiss and Tell  
  
"AIIIIIIIIIIIIIIYAAAAAAAAH!!!!"  
  
Thump.  
  
Stomp, stomp, stomp...  
  
SLAM!  
  
Still seated around the dining table, the Higurashi family blinked curiously at the ceiling, chopsticks poised halfway to their open mouths.  
  
"What was that all about?" Souta wondered aloud.  
  
His mother and grandfather shrugged.  
  
-*-  
  
Kagome ravenously attacked her triple-decker, three-cheese bacon cheeseburger, savoring the delightful taste of normal adolescence. So THIS was what it was like...  
  
Today, for the first day in about six months, she was able to freely pay homage to the great gods of fast food–the CEO's of WacDonald's Inc. From their delectable meat substitutes (smothered in special sauce and extra pickles) to their lightly golden fries (that only dripped a little), the fast food chain was certainly a wonderful amenity that was seriously lacking in the feudal era.  
  
Kagome's friends watched in horrified fascination at the sounds of absolute pleasure Kagome was making as she alternated between scarfing her burger to shoving in a couple of fries to eventually taking a sip of her (ironically) diet soda, lest she somehow loose the ability to breathe for too long.  
  
Ayumi, the decidedly "sweet" member of the group, ventured conversation while her friend paused to take a breath. "So...," she smiled. "I guess you're over your mono?"  
  
Kagome snorted. The painful sting of carbonated beverage assaulted her nasal passages and she gagged on her half-chewed piece of so-called beef and week old bread.  
  
"M-mono?" she coughed, clearing all obstructions from her windpipe with a little help from Eri, who gave her a few good whacks to dislodge any half swallowed food.  
  
"Yeah." Ayumi replied, watching Kagome warily in case she choked again. "We called your house a couple weeks ago and your grandfather told us. Are you alright?"  
  
Kagome cleared her throat. "I'm fine."  
  
"You know," Yuka interjected. "I knew a girl once who had a friend who's boyfriend's cousin caught mono from the girl he was secretly seeing behind his girlfriends back."  
  
The other three girls blinked.  
  
Yuka cleared her throat sheepishly.  
  
"Well, that's what I heard anyway."  
  
Blink.  
  
"Right." she continued, giving another stabilizing cough. "Anyway, he was out of school off and on for about two months."  
  
Light of recognition lit in Eri's eyes. "Oooh! I know who you're talking about now! It's that guy who was dating Kisa before she found out he was cheating on her with her cousin, but then found out that it wasn't her cousin after all but her best friend!"  
  
"Yeah, that's the one."  
  
"I heard his thingie fell off."  
  
"That's not what Ritsuko says..."  
  
"You're kidding!"  
  
"Nope. That's what she said."  
  
"How does she know?"  
  
"...do we really have to say it, Aya?"  
  
"GUYS!" Kagome interjected, waving her hands around frantically to end the thread of conversation before she found out about any more. As much as she strived for normalcy, she wasn't sure she wanted it at that cost.  
  
Her friends turned their attention to her and blinked.  
  
Kagome sweat dropped.  
  
"So..." Yuka grinned slyly. "Where did you catch the mono?" she waggled her eyebrows suggestively.  
  
Eri jumped in. "I hear that Hojo-kun's been out sick a lot lately. Have you finally had your date with him?"  
  
Kagome flushed to the roots of her hair. "N-no!"  
  
"She has a boyfriend already, remember?" Ayumi offered helpfully.  
  
"That's right!"  
  
"Who is it?"  
  
"Well, I haven't seen Eizo-kun around lately."  
  
"He moved."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah, his dad got transferred to Kyoto."  
  
"Too bad...he was cute."  
  
"Well, who else haven't we seen lately?"  
  
"Well, there's always Goro-kun. Ooh! What if it's Hiro-kun?!"  
  
"No way! If it's anybody, it'll be Jiro-kun."  
  
"Jiro-kun? Riiiiiiight..."  
  
"HEY!" Kagome interrupted, a little too loudly. The customers squashed into the cheap plastic seats all around them and even the people behind the counter paused in their activities to stare at the wild school girl who was, apparently, prone to outbursts.  
  
Kagome flushed again and slowly took her seat, sinking low into the booth so that even her friends couldn't see more than the top of her bright forehead.  
  
"I-I mean..." she stuttered. "I'm not dating anyone from school."  
  
"But you ARE dating someone, right?" Yuka asked, standing so that she might glare down her friend properly. "You're not still stuck on that violent, jealous prick, are you?"  
  
Kagome sat up straight as if scalded, and met her friends glare with one of her own. "He's not a violent, jealous dick!" she defended, memories of just the opposite rising to her mind unbidden.  
  
Damn you, InuYasha. Can't even defend you properly without contradicting myself, she thought.  
  
Yuka smirked. "I said prick, Kagome-chan, PRICK."  
  
"Tee hee, Kagome-chan said dick!" Eri giggled. Ayumi shrank down into the booth, mortified at the crowd they were suddenly drawing.  
  
"Um...maybe we should leave." she suggested tentatively.  
  
-*-  
  
"I told you already." Kagome muttered irritably, feeling her hackles rising. "There IS no guy!" Not officially, anyway, she added silently to herself.  
  
Yuka gave her a skeptical look.  
  
"There's NOT!" Kagome defended. "I'm too...erm...sick to be going out with anyone."  
  
Good, Kagome. VERIFY your grandfather's stupid illnesses.  
  
"So you DO have mono, then?" Eri asked. Yuka raised her eyebrow. Ayumi hummed to herself, obliviously walking a few steps behind the other three.  
  
Pausing at the base of the shrine steps, Kagome sighed in exasperation. Either she had to admit to having mono and, therefore, to having some sort of crazy, violent PRICK of a boyfriend OR she had to come up with another reasonable excuse for her constant absences from school...  
  
Kagome sighed again.  
  
"Yes." she agreed ruefully.  
  
The grins on Eri and Yuka's faces grew more ecstatic.  
  
"So who was it?" the asked simultaneously.  
  
"Was he cute?"  
  
"What's he like?"  
  
"It's not THAT guy, is it?"  
  
"What was it like?"  
  
Bombarded yet again, Kagome took a step back, holding her hands before her defensively. What could she say now? The only kiss she'd ever had was the one from a week ago and it was so quick...and perverted...and soft...  
  
No way! She'd pounded that pervert into the ground for what he'd done! He'd STOLEN her first kiss, the one she'd been saving for InuYasha for over a YEAR now! How could she even THINK that she might have, maybe, possibly, probably enjoyed it?  
  
Well, yeah, it was soft...and sweet...and not unpleasantly wet...but it was MIROKU and he STOLE her first kiss...and...and...and...  
  
GAH!  
  
Surely there were more reasons for her to hate him, right? He STOLE it...and...and...  
  
Damn. That was the only one.  
  
Unable to think up another plausible solution to her problem (what with the memories of that kiss making her extremely hot 'n all...and NOT in the right places, mind you) she answered "I had mono. But I didn't get it from a guy!"  
  
Eri and Yuka looked at each other, then at Kagome, and then back at each other. Their eyes were as round as saucers and their jaws were dropped between their feet.  
  
"You mean–"  
  
"Kagome, we had no idea–"  
  
"Why didn't you tell us–"  
  
"We would have understood–"  
  
"I mean, if you really swing THAT WAY–"  
  
"NO!" Kagome interrupted yet again, a definite note of panic seeping into her voice now. "I'm not...not...LIKE THAT!" she insisted.  
  
"Ah, but think if you were." a new voice chuckled. "It would give us so many more options."  
  
Speak of the devil and...  
  
Well, Naraku five hundred years in the past. So the monk would have to fill in.  
  
Miroku wobbled down the stairs, leaning heavily on his cane to steady himself as he made his way to the four girls loitering by the shrine steps. He approached with his most charming grin, the one that never failed to earn him a bed for a night or two (or three...or four...).  
  
"Good afternoon, ladies." he greeted, flashing each one of them a special grin of their very own. Each girl blushed in turn. "Kagome, you never told me you had such enchanting friends."  
  
The girls sparkled.  
  
Kagome glared at the suave monk. "What are you doing out here? I thought I told you to stay in the shrine grounds while you were here!"  
  
Miroku turned his grin on her. "But how could I not venture out to see the sights?" he winked. "Besides, you were late coming home. I was quite vexed as to your whereabouts." he forced a very convincing pouty-look.  
  
Kagome frowned. And melted a little.  
  
"But what if you'd gotten lost? And where's Grandpa?"  
  
"He's at the store looking for 'historical' pickles." he grinned. "Of course, in all my years of experience, I've never yet come across a sacred vegetable." He hobbled to her, using his cane for support, and stopped only when the view of her cleavage was uninhibited. Ah, it was good to be tall.  
  
Kagome crossed her arms in front of her chest (Miroku noted how they propped up her breasts) and gave him her best stern-look. "Why aren't you inside playing video games with Souta, then?"  
  
"Because he's at school." Miroku answered easily. Damn, he had a point.  
  
"Alright then," Kagome struggled for another excuse to send him back to the shrine. She was still mad at him, after all. She'd been giving him the silent treatment all–  
  
Damn!  
  
Yuka, the first to recover from the flattery, blinked as the lightbulb flickered to life.  
  
"Wait...you're LIVING with Kagome?" she gasped. The other two girls reached reality with a resounding THUD and turned to Kagome for answers.  
  
"B-but, that's not proper..." Ayumi said worriedly, cupping her hand to her face. "You're not MARRIED!"  
  
"Wow, Kagome!" Eri chirped. "I thought I would be the first one! And your mom just lets him?"  
  
"Ah...it's not like that." Kagome coughed nervously. "He's just staying with my family for a while. He's my–"  
  
Miroku, struck with sudden brilliance (if he did say so himself), threw his arms about Kagome's shoulders and pulled her firmly to his side. Kagome squeaked in protest, but Miroku cut off any further protests by proclaiming "Why, I am her betrothed, of course!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Authors Note: I read somewhere that the only place you can get a cheeseburger, large fries and a diet soda is America. Probably not true, but I find it disturbing all the same.  
  
Anyway, about the chapter. I know Kagome doesn't ever curse like this, but creative license took over. Besides that, if anyone has reason to curse, it's her. Plus, you know she's GOT to be thinking a blue streak every time Miroku cops a feel...  
  
Good luck w/this cliffy, Horrid ^^  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Next Author: Horridporrid  
  
General Group Info: This Round Robin competition is sponsored by the members of Monk_and_Miko Yahoo! Group, a fan listing of the InuYasha pairing of Miroku/Kagome. The group features fan fiction, fan art, links, chat, contests, and social interaction with other Miroku/Kagome fans. To Join, click here: monkandmiko-subscribe@yahoogroups.com 


	6. Out of the Frying Pan!

General Group Info: Round Robin #1 for Monk_and_Miko  
  
Title: Bed Ridden  
  
Summary: He's lived through a cursed hand, demons, and a hanyou with an attitude-but can our sixteenth century Houshi live through the stimulation of the twentieth century? (MK)  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Chapter Author: Horridporrid  
  
Chapter Summary: That darn cat!  
  
Disclaimer: "Here comes Peter Cottontail, hopping down the bunny trail! Hippity, Hoppity, Hippity Hoppity..." And yet – still no.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 6: Out of the Frying Pan!  
  
"...oh-my-God-oh-my-God-oh-my-God-oh-my-God..." Kagome burst into her room and threw herself face first onto her bed, smothering her chanting with the pillow. With a pained moan she flipped over onto her back and glared up at the ceiling. "I'm going to kill him," she intoned solemnly. The ceiling didn't seem to care, so she upped her glare to a laser-death- stare. "I'm going to KILL HIM!" she shrieked. The ceiling remained unmoved so she pressed her hands over her eyes and prepared to wallow in her own social ruin. Because it wasn't enough that she was a walking encyclopedia of strange and often contradictory diseases. Oh, no! Now she was the first engaged-to-be-MARRIED girl of her class! Without ever going out on one real date! Well, to completion anyway. If the whispering in the hallways had been bad before... hopelessly, Kagome started the chanting up again...  
  
...and was interrupted by a diffident knock on her door. Kagome sighed loudly, and gave in to the inevitable. "Come in," she said in her best my- life-is-over-all-that's-left-is-the-burial voice. The door creaked slowly open and bare feet, accompanied by the light tapping of a cane, padded quietly across the floor, coming to a stop by her bed. A weight settled carefully down next to her, and Kagome shifted over begrudgingly. But only so she didn't have to touch the newly discovered bane of her existence -- not because she was being welcoming -- no sir! No welcome for the latest pox on her life!  
  
"Kagome, are you alright?"  
  
"Oh sure. I'm just peachy." Kagome lowered one hand slightly to glare at the reason for her current crisis, just in case he'd missed the sarcasm. Miroku seemed unaffected. He just sat there looking completely innocent in his white oxford shirt and faded blue-jeans. (And thank God and her mother he hadn't been wearing his monk robes when he met her friends -- that would have raised 'embarrassing' to a whole new level!) The glare still wasn't working. Probably because she was doing it with just one eye. Well, he wasn't going to get two – that was for sure! After a final glare she covered her eye again.  
  
"Mmhm."  
  
Kagome bristled. She knew that sound. Was that big jerk trying not to laugh? She lowered both hands this time and there he was -- staring down at her with his patented I'm-not-smiling smile!  
  
"I'm glad to see you're amused," she said stiffly. "Meanwhile, my life is over. As if I wasn't a big enough weirdo before. I might as well wear a sign." Kagome flounced about a bit, shifting into a more comfortable position. "People will point me out on the street. Mothers will pull their children away, 'Don't touch her! She oozes!'"  
  
"Oozes?" Now Miroku was openly smiling down at her as he brushed a stray lock of hair out of his eyes. And for some reason, there was suddenly a strange tingling sensation in her stomach.  
  
Kagome swallowed, determined to ignore any tingling. It was probably just gas – too much junk food. "You know what I mean! Or you would if you'd ever gone to highschool. Believe me, highschool rumor mills could give Naraku lessons in ruthlessness and what are you staring at?"  
  
Because Miroku's gaze had been snagged by something about midway down the bed, and he was looking at it in that way he'd recently developed. It was a look similar to his battle face, all intense focus and singleness of purpose, but with a searing kind of heat that seemed to burn away all of Kagome's good judgment. When he'd kissed her the other day, that was how he'd been looking at her. And she would swear he'd had a similar look on his face during the blackout. How else to explain the heat that had coursed through her body when he'd held her in his arms? So she was almost expecting it when the tingling in her stomach morphed into a strange but not unpleasant warmth that seemed to pulse through her veins with every beat of her heart.  
  
With a shivery throb of anticipation she propped herself up on her elbows to better see what had captured Miroku's attention. And, oh -- yeah. Apparently she hadn't fully realized the side-effects of flinging oneself about while lying on a bed. Her skirt, always short to begin with because that's how everyone wore them, had ridden up her legs. Had ridden really far up her legs judging by the flash of lavender panties. Later, Kagome would wonder why she didn't immediately shriek and cover herself.  
  
But at the time she just watched through a dreamlike haze as Miroku slowly stretched out one perfectly tanned arm towards the rumpled folds of heavy green fabric. And with an intense sort of clarity she noticed for the first time how smooth and strong and beautiful Miroku's hand was, and she felt a spike of sorrow that he had to keep the other one covered. But then his fingers grasped the hem of her skirt and the back of his hand was brushing down her thighs, and liquid heat pooled low in her belly, and he was pulling her skirt back down, which was a really, really nice thing to do, and she was biting her lower lip hard enough to hurt, and then he was looking at her and saying something, but there was a strange thundering in her ears that may have been her heart, and she felt herself whimper.  
  
Miroku was staring at her, his eyes serious and dark, and his hand was resting on her bare thigh, his fingers tickling the inside of her knee. Kagome knew she should say something to break the spell they seemed to be under, but then he was lowering his head to hers and his lips were brushing softly against hers, and she was having enough trouble just breathing, so speaking was definitely out.  
  
Kagome had been kissed by Miroku before. And for all of her protestations it had been nice – sweet even. But this kiss quickly moved into something far removed from sweet, something far richer than nice. His tongue tickled at her lips and when she gasped in surprise he invaded her mouth and stroked his tongue against hers, so she stroked back, and then he was licking and sucking and consuming her and she melted into him.  
  
Slowly she realized that he had moved until he was lying on top of her so she shifted her legs so he could settle comfortably between them, and he hooked her knee with his hand and pulled it up so that she was spread wide beneath him. There was something large and demanding and intensely male pushing against her and instead of scaring her it seemed only right and necessary. So when he started moving in an ancient rhythm, a rhythm that echoed her heartbeat and his, her only choice was to move with him.  
  
Miroku broke their kiss with a gasp and pressed his cheek against hers, burning her with the heat of his skin, and Kagome clutched at his back, gathering the crisp cotton fabric of his shirt into her fists. He was moaning in her ear and whispering her name like she was his own personal salvation, and she wrapped her legs up high around his waist to better press up against him, and then suddenly he yelped and twitched off of her and Buyo was sliding off of Miroku's back to land with an undignified plop on the floor.  
  
Kagome sat up. She carefully straightened out her skirt and shifted so she was sitting with her back to the wall, legs extended before her and primly crossed at the ankles. She saw Miroku turn towards her out of the corner of her eye and she moved swiftly off of the bed. "I – I have to uh..." she stammered uncertainly, and then she hightailed it out of the room, totally cutting off Buyo's dignified exit and earning herself a disgruntled meow. She didn't stop until she was in the bathroom with the lock turned and her back against the door.  
  
Her legs were trembling and her heart was pounding and she felt like she'd just run a marathon. Breathing shakily, Kagome stumbled over to the sink. Bracing herself on the cool porcelain she peered into the mirror. Her eyes were huge, her eyelashes dewy with perspiration, her face was flushed and her lips were red and swollen. She looked like – like... "I look like I've just experienced a major make-out session," Kagome croaked.  
  
Flinching at the sound of her voice, like speaking made it so, Kagome sank down to sit on the edge of the tub and dropped her face into her hands. "Oh-my-God-oh-my-God-oh-my-God-oh-my-God..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Next Author: Rurouni Star  
  
General Group Info: This Round Robin competition is sponsored by the members of Monk_and_Miko Yahoo! Group, a fan listing of the InuYasha pairing of Miroku/Kagome. The group features fan fiction, fan art, links, chat, contests, and social interaction with other Miroku/Kagome fans. To Join, click here: monkandmiko-subscribe@yahoogroups.com 


	7. Rationalization and Realization

General Info: Round Robin #1 for Monk_and_Miko  
  
Title: Bed Ridden  
  
Summary: He's lived through a cursed hand, demons, and a hanyou with an attitude-but can our sixteenth century Houshi live through the stimulation of the twentieth century? (MK)  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Chapter Author: Rurouni Star  
  
Chapter Summary: In which Rurouni Star tries desperately to think up something more interesting than HorridPorrid (and probably fails). Really? In which a cold shower and a desperate situation develop.  
  
Disclaimer: I'm feeling blatant. So – no. Not now, not ever.  
  
Author Note: Me and my... um. Muse? No. Don't have one. Not an M/K one, at least. I guess me and my crazy 3 am need to write. I didn't have a single idea for this either until I sat down and found that I was in angst withdrawal. Enjoy?  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 7: Rationalization and Realization  
  
So.  
  
She'd just nearly... um. With her 'fiancé'.  
  
Thinking rationally, she probably should have thanked her cat for stopping them. But she wasn't thinking rationally. In fact, she really wasn't able to think much at all, except to remember the feeling of skin sliding over skin and his hand on her thigh and if it had just slid upward, just a little- "No!" she said, panicking. "No. Ice cream! Yes, ice cream, that's cold and... and tastes good..."  
  
She licked her lips. Then decided ice cream really wasn't working all that well, because she was just getting dizzier...  
  
She settled for biting her lip – hard. And opening the door just a crack to see if he was still there.  
  
The room was perfectly empty.  
  
Kagome let out a sound that could have been a sigh of relief or of frustration. She really wasn't able to properly distinguish the two anymore anyway.  
  
With a last shiver of some unidentifiable emotion, she slipped back into the room – and jumped abruptly as the phone rang.  
  
Ring ring! Ring ring!  
  
She seriously considered leaving the thing well enough alone. In fact, she sat down nervously on her bed and considered deliberately going to sleep. Except – eep. Sleep = dreams = god knows what was going on with her lately...  
  
Ring ring! Ring ring!  
  
"Fine!" she whispered angrily at the phone. "Have it your way."  
  
So she picked it up. And immediately regretted it.  
  
"Kagome! Why didn't you tell us, we never would have set you up with Houjou – he's so cute and why oh why oh why didn't you tell me?"  
  
Kagome groaned. "Eri," she said. "Please. Not now."  
  
She could hear her friend pouting. "But now is the time. Why did we have to find out like this? Yuka's already had to leave to go to Houjou's to tell him-"  
  
"She what?" Kagome screeched. And, temporarily, the "mono" and the kiss and the other haze- filled things were forgotten as she immediately threw down the phone and ran.  
  
Through the door, down the stairs, and past a certain monk...in...a...towel...  
  
She didn't come to an immediate halt. No, she just forgot to keep going. And stared.  
  
Miroku, his unbound hair dripping with water, seemed panicked and concerned. He both reached to put a hand on her shoulder and realized it was probably not the best thing to do at the moment all at once. "Kagome, what's wrong?"  
  
She swallowed and tried to forget-  
  
The way he'd gasped her name, the way his fingers had brushed her cheek, the way she felt against him as cool beads slid over her searing skin- Wasn't working, obviously.  
  
"M-Miroku," she stammered, immediately turning around, face red. "Um... if I may ask... what are you doing in my house in a bath towel?"  
  
He twitched. She knew he had twitched because the beads on his hand had clinked together melodically in the way that usually signified he was getting ready to grope someone. Surprisingly, no hand landed in dangerous territory. No... she wasn't... disappointed?  
  
Miroku muttered a response too low to hear and immediately grabbed her arm. Kagome's eyes widened in surprise as she was pulled into the bathroom with him, the door closing loudly behind him. Kagome squeaked as she found herself once more in a much-too-enclosed space with the one person she really didn't want to be with, but needed to be with...  
  
His hands were clenched tightly at his sides, and she immediately worried that the beads of his right hand might be pressing painfully into those whitening fists. Kagome opened her mouth to speak, but he beat her to it.  
  
"I'm sorry," Miroku said immediately. "My conduct was... amazingly uncalled for. And if you want me to find somewhere else to stay-"  
  
"That's ridiculous!" she burst out. "Of course not! You're my friend, I'm not pushing you out, and I always knew what kind of person you were- oh!" She clapped a hand over her mouth, horrified. "I mean... I mean..." Oh my. This wasn't turning out well at all. "That was awful of me, I know you're a good person, Miroku, I just... I just..."  
  
Miroku shook his head. "No. You're right, Kagome-sama. Let me tell you something – all men are dogs. Don't let anyone tell you differently. Inuyasha would never have done something like that, though, which possibly defeats my whole point... but you deserve better."  
  
She frowned.  
  
"Miroku. If you say one more word like that, I'll-"  
  
"What, Kagome?" He gave a strained smile. "Throw me out?"  
  
She huffed. "No. But something. I just have to think it up." Her eyes widened. "Oh no! Houjou!"  
  
And she moved for the door.  
  
"Wait – Kagome!" His hand closed over her arm as she fled. "What's going on if it's not that?"  
  
Immediately, the blood in her body pounded with a need to finish what they'd started. She needed more time to cool off!  
  
"It's Houjou!" Kagome explained quickly. "He – they – Eri said Yuka went to tell him-" She gave up with a growl of frustration. "But you're a really, really nice guy and if you don't promise me you won't run while I'm gone, I'll tie you up and leave you in a closet!"  
  
Miroku's fingers tightened on her arm, his eyes closing.  
  
"Kagome," he said through gritted teeth. "Please. Please go. I will stay and take another cold shower. Much colder," he added with a shudder. And before she could say another word, he had pushed her out the door and into the hallway.  
  
"Well!" she said. "Well!" And tried to keep her temper in check, because she knew that forcing her way in and demanding a promise wasn't the best of options at this point. Especially considering that Miroku was probably... probably...  
  
A very red blush spread over her face as she moved directly away from the door. Houjou. Houjou was the important part here. Yuka was about to blatantly tell him that Kagome wasn't ever going to go out with him, which was so totally not the way Kagome herself had wanted to do it. In fact, she'd been working very hard to gradually get him to think of her as a friend...  
  
Yes. Houjou.  
  
But Miroku too. Because she didn't want him to leave because of something like that. No matter what happened, she didn't want him to leave.  
  
So she ran faster than she could remember ever running before, barring, perhaps, the centipede incident. But this was above the Inuyasha- trying-to-kill-her incident, she decided with a gasp, and just above the time she'd tried to outrun him to the well for the first time.  
  
Past the prayer trees, past the houses, the blurred roofs that could have all been the same color for all she noticed, past street corners and buildings and into a somewhat richer area. And Kagome stopped at a certain tranquil looking house, not even bothering to catch her breath before she knocked. Hands on her knees, her torso bent nearly double with exhaustion, Kagome took deep, heaving breaths to steady herself. After about ten of these, when she was feeling much better, or at least not as tired, she realized no one had come to the door.  
  
No! Did Yuka get here already? What if she told him something awful, like I'd been engaged before he asked me out or something and I said yes out of pity? What if she gets it all wrong, what if he hates me-  
  
But the door in front of her opened abruptly.  
  
An older woman, smiling, helped her up. "I'm sorry, Kagome, dear, he's not here right now."  
  
She blinked. And realized belatedly that she'd actually asked where Houjou was.  
  
"O- oh... oh. Okay."  
  
Mrs. Houjou smiled. "Would you like to come in anyway and get some water? You look awfully parched."  
  
Kagome tried to say no politely. She really did. But what ended up coming out was –  
  
"I'msosorrynotimegottogoandgetbackorhe'llleave!"  
  
But Mrs. Houjou waved her off cheerily none-the-less. "Good luck with that, then."  
  
The way home seemed almost shorter than the way there, despite the fact that a knot of dread had appeared in her stomach. What if he'd somehow left? She knew Miroku was a responsible person – he held himself accountable for everything he felt was his fault. And this, to him, would definitely constitute a fault.  
  
But... why was she so sure of that? Because, well, from his reputation, he'd not balked at playing with women's hearts before. And she couldn't possibly imagine that he hadn't... hadn't... done that before. So why was she so sure?  
  
"Because," she half-whispered, half-gasped as she reached the door to the temple-house, "Because I know him. Because he's Miroku-sama." Funny Miroku, brave Miroku, concerned Miroku, the Miroku that played video games with little brothers and braved family dinners and blackouts and emotional breakdowns-  
  
And she was pounding at the bathroom door and sobbing because she was so sure he'd never understand how very much he was worth to her. "Please," she cried to him, "Please don't go..." And the door opened, and he was holding her to him tightly even though he probably didn't know why.  
  
"Kagome," he said quietly, as he ran his fingers through her hair, "You should know that I am never going to stop needing another cold shower as long as you're pressing yourself so close to me." She stopped in the middle of a shaking sob and looked up at him with an incredulous, tear- streaked face.  
  
He was smiling at her, though, and she realized he was joking with her (half-joking?), trying to get her to feel better again. She laughed, despite herself, because she'd always been amazed at how very quickly he could make a bad situation all better. It was a quality she loved in him.  
  
Wait... I... I love...  
  
"Miroku... I... I think I..."  
  
His arms tightened around her.  
  
No! I don't know that!  
  
"I don't want you to go," she finished weakly.  
  
He let out a breath he'd been holding.  
  
"Then I won't," he stated simply.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Announcements: The author list has been reopened for all the new members who may wish to possibly join up and didn't get a chance when it was first created. You have approximately three weeks before my turn comes around again, marking the end of the period. I'll be adding people onto the end of the list based on when they sign up so just let me know and I'll do so if you wish to join.  
  
Again, If you do not throw your hat into the ring BEFORE my turn comes around, then you will be unable to participate. LAST CHANCE TO JOIN!!! Chubbies and Crash have their turns, and then it's mine again (gah, didn't I just write something last week...?), giving you, again, three weeks to join.  
  
Final deadline: May 1st, 2004  
  
I'll hold of my next turn until then to give you time to join. No extensions, no exceptions. Once I begin work on my chapter, you're out of luck.  
  
Next Author: Chubbies  
  
Due Date: April 23, 2004  
  
General Group Info: This Round Robin competition is sponsored by the members of Monk_and_Miko Yahoo! Group, a fan listing of the InuYasha pairing of Miroku/Kagome. The group features fan fiction, fan art, links, chat, contests, and social interaction with other Miroku/Kagome fans. To Join, click here: monkandmiko-subscribe@yahoogroups.com 


	8. Burden?

General Info: Round Robin #1 for Monk_and_Miko Yahoo! Group  
  
Title: Bed Ridden  
  
Summary: He's lived through a cursed hand, demons, and a hanyou with an attitude-but can our sixteenth century Houshi live through the stimulation of the twentieth century? {MK}  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Author: Chubbies  
  
Chapter Summary: In which Miroku eavesdrops.  
  
Disclaimer: Not even if I changed my name to Rumiko.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 8: Burden?  
  
Boom!  
  
A thunderous drum rang throughout the land as Kagome searched for him. He walked off muttering something - not that she was sure she wanted to know, anyways.   
  
"Kagome!" Boom, boom, boom!  
  
She heard a faceless voice calling her. Slightly apprehensive now, she fevered her search for the missing monk. The voice was definitely familiar, although she couldn't quite say from where she had heard it from.  
  
Boom!  
  
And who the hell owns a drum in the middle of nowhere!?  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Kagome!" Souta cried as he continued to knock persistently on the wooden door to his sister's room. "Kagome, get up! The phone's for you!" He lifted his hand to knock again, but stumbled halfway into the room when an irritated Kagome opened the door abruptly.  
  
Wordlessly, she stomped down the steps to the kitchen, grabbing a cola out of the refrigerator before picking up the phone.  
  
"What!" she called rudely into the phone. Yuki or whoever decided to call her at the ungodly hour of 9 am - no school today, people! - would be sorry they disturbed her dream.  
  
"Higurashi-san?" Kagome paled at the sound of a timid Houjou on the other end.  
  
"Oh, uh, sorry Houjou-kun, I thought you were someone else."  
  
"Oh! Okay then!" Kagome resisted rolling her eyes as she could practically see him brighten up. "Well, I talked to Yuki this morning and she was acting quite strange." Again, she paled. "She wouldn't let me know what was wrong, but she insisted I call you because you had something important to tell me. Is your chronic halitosis acting up again, because my mother has a great wash."  
  
"Oh, no!" She shook her head and, again, reminded herself just how much she wanted to kill her grandfather. "I, uh, I mean, that's not what I wanted to tell you. I, uh, um, that is.." She trailed off, unsure of how she was going to tell him that she was "betrothed" to a 500 year old monk.   
  
~*~*~  
  
"So, she's talking to.." Miroku prompted. He glanced towards Souta who, much like himself, was crowded around the corner, intent on "accidentally" catching every word of Kagome's phone conversation.  
  
"Houjou," he replied, not turning his head to the monk. Miroku gave a quick grunt of acknowledgement, not wanting to miss a word of the conversation.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"So that's about it!" Kagome laughed nervously. A little chuckle was heard on the other end.   
  
"Now I see why that was so important, Higurashi-san. What a relief. Yuki really had me worried there, but you could have told me that your family was nursing your cousin. Of course, I'd be glad to help in any way I can." Kagome paled as images of the poor meeting the renowned pervert.  
  
"That's not necessary, Houjou-kun. I'm sure me and my mom can take perfectly good care of him."  
  
"Well, then, how about going to see a movie this Saturday. I hear Super Undead Ninja Vampires: The Movie is going to be playing."  
  
"Uh, sorry, Houjou-kun, maybe some other time, when my cousin is feeling better." She glanced around nervously at a noise that sounded suspiciously like a growl. "Okay, Houjou-kun, good-bye." Kagome hung up the phone with a relieved sigh that turned quickly into a frightened scream when a hand grabbed her by the shoulder.  
  
"Please feel free to let me know when I've become too much of a burden to you," a cold voice rang in her ear. After the familiar shiver wore off, the words finally registered.  
  
Kagome turned to the monk, only to find him stomping away, his cane clanking loudly on the hardwood floor. She turned a curious eye to her little brother.  
  
"What's his problem?" she asked absently. Souta rolled his eyes at her and responded before following his new houshi-nii-chan.  
  
"Maybe he doesn't like being referred to as your 'poor, sick cousin that you have to take care of.' Really, nee-chan, you can be so slow at times." She stood shocked that her little brother, who only a few years earlier was trying to give her wet willies, was actually trying to tell her something serious. All she could do was look after the two guys and wonder exactly what happened.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Next Author: Crash  
  
Due Date: April 29, 2004  
  
Group Notes: Oh, and btw ppl, you can only join the RR between now and May 1st--don't forget!!! We've got two new authors tacked onto the end of the list and there's always room for more (tho my ego says there isn't. it says "let Megami write! let them eat cake!") It's been a loooooooong week so don't look at me like that :-P  
  
Group Info: This Round Robin competition is sponsored by the members of Monk_and_Miko Yahoo! Group, a fan listing of the Inuyasha pairing of Miroku/Kagome. The group features fan fiction, fan art, links, chat, contests, and social interaction with other Miroku/Kagome fans. To join, click here: monkandmiko-subscribe@yahoogroups.com 


	9. Hot Water

General Info: Round Robin #1 for Monk_and_Miko Yahoo! Group  
  
Title: Bed Ridden  
  
Summary: he's lived through a cursed hand, demons, and a hanyou with an attitude- but can our sixteenth century Houshi live through the stimulation of the twentieth century? [MK]  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Chapter Author: Crash  
  
Chapter Summary: The Undead Super Ninja Vampires will never die! Miroku and Kagome talk. In the bathroom.  
  
Disclaimer: I hold no rights to Inuyasha in anyway.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 9: Hot Water  
  
Kagome still stood by the phone, watching Miroku and her younger  
  
brother walk away from her. She was completely taken off guard when  
  
suddenly the doorbell went off practically right in her ear. As she  
  
turned to go answer the door, she noticed Miroku and Souta stop and  
  
turn to watch her, though they were trying to hide behind yet another  
  
wall.  
  
`What is it with those two and eavesdropping,' Kagome thought with a  
  
roll of her eyes as her hand gripped the door and pulled it open.  
  
There standing in front of her was a young man she vaguely recognized  
  
as one of the men that had hauled Miroku in his wheelchair up all  
  
those stairs. More specifically, he was the younger of the two that  
  
had asked her out for coffee. He certainly looked different when he  
  
wasn't in his uniform, but Kagome found herself comparing him to  
  
Miroku, and the young worker was falling desperately short of the  
  
monk.  
  
"Uh, yes, can I help you," Kagome asked, hoping he wasn't as  
  
persistent as Houjo in trying to get her to go out on a date with him.  
  
"Yes. I never got to introduce myself properly when we helped you  
  
with your cousin, and you didn't have time for a coffee then, so I  
  
decided I would at least be polite and come introduce myself. My  
  
name is Maruku, and I would be honored if you would grace me with  
  
your company for an early lunch today, or perhaps a movie tonight. I  
  
hear Super Undead Ninja Vampires: The Movie has come out," the young  
  
man said with a bow.  
  
Kagome felt flustered. What was it with this guy and making her  
  
flustered? She glanced towards the wall that Souta, and more  
  
importantly, Miroku had been hiding behind last, and then looked back  
  
toward Maruku. Stifling a groan that was trying to escape her  
  
throat, she realized they even had similar names. Kagome decided  
  
that she could at least make up for making Miroku feel bad about  
  
being named her sickly cousin to Houjo.  
  
Looking back at the expectant Maruku, Kagome sighed and shook her  
  
head. "I'm terribly sorry, but I cannot. You were deceived. Miroku  
  
is not actually my cousin. That's just what we tell people so they  
  
won't think poorly of us. Miroku is actually my intended," Kagome  
  
told the young man, watching as his face fell with each word.  
  
She also heard a distinct thump that sounded like a body hitting the  
  
ground, probably in disbelief. She would have to check Miroku's  
  
wounds after that, but right now, she was more concerned with ...  
  
Wait, no, she WAS more concerned with Miroku.  
  
"I'm sorry, again," Kagome said, as she began slowly closing the  
  
door. She watched as Maruku's left eye twitched.  
  
"Your intended? But what about how he is," he asked, obviously  
  
referring to the ride through the city.  
  
Kagome smiled sheepishly. "Well, you see, he has a killer sense of  
  
humor, and he was just joking around. He thought it would be funny  
  
to act like that, to mess with you two," she told him, hoping he  
  
wouldn't get mad.  
  
"I see. Well, I'm sorry if I've offended you. Goodbye," Maruku  
  
said, then turned and walked away.  
  
But Kagome didn't stay to watch him walk away. She said a quick  
  
goodbye, then shut the door, running to where she had last seen  
  
Miroku and found him sitting on the floor, his back resting against  
  
the wall behind him.  
  
She glanced at Souta, who was just standing there with a dumbfounded  
  
look on his face. "Souta, why don't you go help Grandpa in the  
  
shrine shop," Kagome said as she bent to check on the silent monk.  
  
"Are you kidding?? I've got to go ask Mom if I can go see Super  
  
Undead Ninja Vampires: The Movie," Souta said as he suddenly took off  
  
towards the back of the house, probably to go see if their mother was  
  
out back in the small vegetable garden they had.  
  
Kagome shook her head at her younger brother's antics. Maybe she  
  
would tell him later that their mother was in the shrine shop,  
  
helping out Grandpa. AFTER he had run all over the entire shrine  
  
looking for her. Turning her attention back to Miroku, her eyes took  
  
on a concerned look.  
  
"Are you alright? You know, you aren't suppose to fall over for  
  
another four weeks," Kagome told him with a mock scolding  
  
voice. "But seriously. You better hope you didn't pull any  
  
stitches," she told him as she lifted his shirt to check on his  
  
bandages. "Let's get you upstairs, closer to the first aid kit.  
  
It's time to change your bandages anyway." Kagome paused in what she  
  
was doing and looked up at Miroku, who was watching her with a  
  
strange look. One that flustered her almost as much as unwanted  
  
dates with Houjo. "Are you going to say anything?"  
  
"Did you mean it," Miroku asked, looking her directly in the eye.  
  
"Uh, mean what, Miroku," she asked, getting more flustered by the  
  
second.  
  
"About liking my sense of humor," he asked with a slight smile.  
  
Kagome snorted. "I never said I liked it. I just said it was  
  
killer," she replied, a sparkle of mischief in her eyes. "Now come  
  
on. I need to get you upstairs so I can check on your stitches and  
  
change your bandages," she said as she helped him stand up, then they  
  
began the walk up the stairs, toward the upstairs bathroom, which  
  
held the first aid kit.  
  
She was going to have to rethink not having one downstairs as Miroku  
  
rested a good deal of his weight on her and the cane. Kagome watched  
  
his face as it twisted into a wince with almost every step they took.  
  
"Uh, you know, I could just go get the first aid kit from upstairs,  
  
and we could check on everything down here," she told him, feeling  
  
guilty about making him fall and making him have to walk up those  
  
dozen stairs.  
  
"No. It's fine Kagome. I think I would like to lie down for a while  
  
afterwards," he told her. They continued walking for a moment in  
  
silence, until Miroku broke it with Kagome's name.  
  
"Hm," Kagome asked as she concentrated on balancing her own weight,  
  
as well as Miroku's while on the stairs.  
  
"Why would others think poorly of you if it were known you had an  
  
intended," he asked, his voice completely serious.  
  
"Well, in this time, it's just not normal for people our age to be  
  
engaged, let alone get married. People would think that my family  
  
has become poor and can't afford to raise me anymore, so they married  
  
me off. And people gossip, so it wouldn't be long before my family's  
  
reputation would be ruined. They would wonder why we keep this  
  
shrine, instead of moving into a smaller home so I could stay with my  
  
family. It just wouldn't be pretty," Kagome told him.  
  
By then, the pair had reached the bathroom. Kagome had Miroku take  
  
off his shirt and sit on the lowered seat of the toilet while she  
  
retrieved the first aid kit from under the sink.  
  
"I'm sorry if I have caused you or your family any problems with what  
  
I told your friends," Miroku said quietly.  
  
Kagome looked at him as she turned around with the kit in her  
  
hands. "Don't worry about it. The fact that you're staying with us,  
  
and we're providing for you proves that we aren't as poor off as  
  
people would normally think. With you staying here, people are more  
  
apt to think that we're in love rather than it just being a marriage  
  
of convenience," she told him as she began to unwrap his old bandages.  
  
"Are we?"  
  
"Are we what," Kagome asked as she pulled the last of the material  
  
from his body and began looking at his wound, making sure he didn't  
  
pull any of the stitches out when he fell over.  
  
"In love," Miroku asked like it was the most obvious question in the  
  
world.  
  
Kagome nearly fell over and after regaining her balance she gaped up  
  
at Miroku. "Uh, I don't know. Um, I would, ah, guess that if you  
  
have to ask me if you, uh, love me, then you must, ah, not really,  
  
uh, love me," she stuttered out, looking away as quickly as she  
  
could. She started wrapping a new bandage around his body, blushing  
  
profusely as her mind continued to mull over what he had asked.  
  
"I didn't ask you about my feelings. I wanted to know about yours,"  
  
Miroku said suddenly.  
  
Kagome fell backwards, dumbfounded, the only thing keeping her from  
  
hitting her head on the sink was Miroku's hand that shot out and  
  
grabbed her upper arm, pulling her towards him. At least she had  
  
been able to tie off the new bandage before he had dropped that  
  
bombshell on her.  
  
"I don't know. I don't really know that much about you," she told  
  
him. She numbly felt him slide from the toilet to the floor next to  
  
her, his arms moving to wrap around her form.  
  
"Well, how do people from your time court," Miroku asked, running his  
  
fingers through her hair.  
  
"Go out on dates, like to the movies or to dinner," Kagome said  
  
absentmindedly as her brain focused on the nice feeling of his  
  
fingers in her hair.  
  
"In that case, Kagome, would you like to go to a movie with me  
  
tonight," Miroku asked, a mischievous smirk crossing his  
  
features. "I hear Super Undead Ninja Vampires: The Movie is playing."  
  
Kagome just sat dumbfounded, still. Miroku had basically said he  
  
liked her, he was holding her ever so gently, he wasn't groping her,  
  
and now he was asking her out on a date.  
  
Miroku just couldn't resist any longer. His covered right hand slid  
  
down from her shoulder to her waist, and gradually made its way to  
  
Kagome's behind for a nice grope. He knew he would get slapped for  
  
it, but just then, the grope lust had overtaken him and he just.  
  
Couldn't. Resist.  
  
Kagome felt the hand move down her body, but she did nothing to stop  
  
him. All she did was take `he wasn't groping her' off of her list of  
  
nice things that were completely clouding her mind and judgment. As  
  
she felt the hand settle on her behind, she leaned against his bare  
  
chest, idly thinking he should put his shirt back on.  
  
"Miroku," she said sweetly. "If you do not remove your hand from my  
  
butt, I'll remove it from your arm," Kagome told him as her right  
  
hand came up to trace nonsense trails over the bare skin of his chest.  
  
Miroku smiled. "Yes, Kagome," he said in his most respectable  
  
voice. He moved his hand up to the back of her head, angling her  
  
head so that she was looking up at him. "How's this," he asked.  
  
"Nice, but if you kiss me ..."  
  
Kagome's words were cut off by Miroku's lips descending on hers once  
  
again. Not really caring at the moment, her hand slid up his chest,  
  
over his shoulder, and her arm wrapped around his neck, anchoring her  
  
to him.  
  
~*~  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Next Author: Crimson Demon  
  
Due Date: May 1, 2004  
  
Group Info: This Round Robin competition is sponsored by the members of Monk_and_Miko Yahoo! Group, a fan listing of the Inu Yasha pairing of Miroku/Kagome. The group features fan fiction, fan art, links, chat, contests, and social interaction with other Miroku/Kagome fans. To join go to or monkandmiko- subscribe@yahoogroups.com 


	10. God's Gift To Women

General Info: Round Robin #1 for the MonkandMiko Yahoo! Group  
  
Title: Bed Ridden  
  
Summary: He's lived through a cursed hand, demons, and a hanyou with an attitude-but can our sixteenth century Houshi live through the stimulation's of the twentieth century? [MK]  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Chapter Author: Crimson Demon  
  
Chapter Summary: In which Souta begs to go to Undead Super Ninja Vampires: The Movie, and Risa sees many things.  
  
Disclaimer: -don't own. Not even in my wildest dreams.  
  
Chapter 10: God's Gift to Women  
  
Souta tore around the corner of the house, grabbing the edge of a wall to swing his weight over, and leap up and over a shovel that lay in his path. "Mom? Mom! Mommomomomomom!" Eyes searching frantically for his mother, he found her. Stopping just barely before hitting her, he backed up a bit, and stared up at her, making his eyes as large and liquid as was humanly possible. "Mom, you know that I love you right?" Uh-oh, nothing ever good came of that sugary-sweet voice. A sigh escaped the older woman. "Yes, Souta, I know that you love me..." She continued to weed the garden, resisting the urge to ask, "What do you want?"  
  
"And you know that you're like, my favorite mom ever, right?" He was bouncing. Absolutely bouncing on the balls of his feet, she noted with faint amusement. What ever he wanted to ask for, it must be big. "I should hope so, Souta...but aren't I your only mother?" She shot him a smile, and continued to work, pulling up stray weeds that were here and there.  
  
"Yeah...But...." He hugged her quickly around the shoulders, and then pulled back. "Can you take me to go and see "Undead Super Ninja Vampires?," I promise, I won't ever ask you for anything ever, ever again! I mean- like...food and stuff, but I won't ask for..." He thought for a moment, and then gave up. "Can I go? Pleeease?"  
  
Reaching up, and brushing back a stray strand of hair that was out of place, she turned to face the overly hyper boy. "And what do I get out of this?" She asked teasingly. He again thought for a moment, then bent forward, pecking her on the cheek. "Nice try kid..." Standing up with a soft sound, she stretched out her muscles, and then bent back over to pick up the garden utensils. "Why don't we go and ask your sister if she will take you, all right? I'm sure that Miroku wouldn't mind going to see more about our time." Eyes even wider then before, the young boy spun on his heel, and darted back toward the house at light speed, barging though the door, shouting at the top of his little lungs for Kagome.  
  
His lips were against her neck, trailing warm kisses up and down her shoulders, nipping the warm skin occasionally. Gods... When he lifted her up slightly, she didn't even think twice of wrapping her legs high around his waist, leaning in to him and savoring the warmth that he offered. "Miroku..." Gently, he slid them down to the floor of the bathroom, until his back was comfortably resting against the wall. A perfectly wicked smile graced his lips as he cradled her against him, his hand slowly slipping down, past her back, (and he knew it was wrong, but did he care?) and on to her bottom. "Three...three seconds...Miroku..." She whispered, drawing back slightly, before gasping slightly as his hands did move away from her rear, instead going to tangle in her hair, and crush her mouth back to his.  
  
Shifting against him, her knees fell on either side of his waist, and she was careful not to rest any part of herself on his wounds. What would happen if Inuyasha were to come in... Just appear...and...She shifted again, restless, as a soft moan of pleasure escaped her. No- no way. No thinking of Inuyasha. But still...I mean...  
  
Barely noticing when the monk pulled away, eyes dark with that unexplainable emotion, she stroked her hands down his shoulders. "Kagome..." Nuzzling the crook of her neck, he slid his hands down to cup her bottom again, heedless of the consequences. "Kagome, are you all right?" The words seemed to jerk her out of her self-induced trance, and she involuntarily jumped.  
  
"Um...yes, I'm fine..." Confused beyond belief; she tilted her head back and pressed her lips back against his. "I'm fine. Really. More please." Shoving thoughts of Inuyasha out of her head for the moment, she focused on the feel of his lips against hers, and the warm press of his body.  
  
She was distracted- no doubt about that...and there was only one thing that he could think of that would preoccupy her so. Inuyasha. Damn him...  
  
Knock. Knock. Knock.  
  
Halfway up the long stairs, Souta debated on going to see who was at the door, or go and see if his sister would take him to go and see the movie. Unfortunately for him, the door won out, as the person knocked again. Groaning in annoyance, he tramped back down the stairs, and jerked back the door. A pretty young woman stood there, dark almond eyes kind. "Hi." She looked familiar, he noticed as he pulled the door open farther. "Who're you?"  
  
"Hi there sweetie! I'm Arishi Yoko...Do you remember me? I was one of the main nurses for your poor sick cousin...How is he doing?" Souta's eyes swept over the woman, and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Sweetie? Yep...That was it- no one called him sweetie unless it was his mother. She had just lost serious brownie points with that first sentence. He tilted his head up to meet her eyes, and crossed his arms.  
  
"Yeah. What do you –mmph!" Risa's hand clapped over his mouth, and he was stopped from further interrogation of the woman. "Buth, buth mumm...! Sheth thust thoed up!" His muffled protests did not sway his mom to let him go from her death grip, as she turned around, and still held him tightly.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Yoko-sama, please, come on in, and take a seat, I'll go and get our dear cousin." She pushed her son over, and up the stairs. "Go on, up the stairs, to your room. I'll talk to you later." Shaking her head in exasperation, the woman headed farther up the stairs, noticing that the door was open, and the light was off in Kagome's room. But the bathroom door was closed, and puzzled, she walked toward the door, and lay a hand on the doorknob. What was that sound...? It sounded like...  
  
-Oh no...  
  
Pulling open the door with great hesitation, Risa swallowed hard. Sure enough, there was Miroku, with her only daughter draped over him, kissing him rather feverishly. His hands were most certainly not where they were suppose to be, and he was murmuring Kagome's name softly. Briefly covering her eyes, she silently chanted, What I don't see, won't hurt me,' until she actually believed it. She then coughed loudly, noting how they froze in what she assumed was astonishment, and surprise. For a moment, Kagome remained motionless, and then her head tilted up, meeting her mother's wide eyes. "M- Mom...!"  
  
Miroku's head was up next, and his normally tan complexion paled considerably with apprehension. "Higurashi-sama."  
  
"Yes.... Well..." Risa shook her head. "There a woman downstairs to see you, Miroku...I believe it is the nurse from the hospital..." She shrugged and then turned around. "Kagome, darling, I'd like to talk to you, once you get a chance." And with that last sentence, she left. "Oh god..." Eyes still wide, Kagome whimpered softly. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my, I'm going to die!" Jerking herself away from the monk, she paused. Wait- monk!? Just what kind of a monk is he? She had asked herself the question many times before, but now... "Just wait for a minute! What kind of a monk are you? Isn't against...your beliefs for you...um..." Blushing furiously, she fidgeted. "Never mind, I don't want to know."  
  
"My dear Kagome..." He drawled, stiffly standing up, and resting a hand on the counter top. "What kind of question is that?" Grinning wickedly, he bent down, and kissed her again, fleetingly, before running his cursed hand through her bangs and then turning around, heading slowly out the door. "Come on, Kagome, let us go and see who is down these stairs, awaiting me..." Stunned at his nonchalance, Kagome could only stand there for a moment, before she gave a very Inuyasha like growl, and stomped her foot in irritation. How could he just...just get up and walk away? Was she the only one affected by...No- that couldn't be it...? Stupid men.  
  
"And stupid monk!" She hissed, before sighing, and hurriedly searching for a brush and running it through her slightly tangled hair. "Stupid...unbelievable..." Who was he to just kiss her like that, and then get up, acting as if...if... "Stupid...stupid...stupid..." The nerve of him!  
  
"Ah! Miroku-sama, how are you doing?" Yoko stood up quickly, beaming invitingly at the monk who rigidly made his way down the last of the stairs; silently cursing in his mind. But the internal complaining was cut off as the woman brushed her hands through her shoulder length brown curls. Ooh! It was her! The nurse' from that hospital,' the one who had so kindly offered to give him a sponge bath...How could he have forgotten? He fixed the charming smile on his lips, conveniently forgetting about Kagome for a moment.  
  
"Yoko-sama, how lovely to see you...' This wasn't exactly what he had in mind, but it would work. If Kagome could be... Preoccupied with Inuyasha, who wasn't even near there, then he should certainly be allowed to continue his exploration of women. Childish? Yes, most likely. Worth it? That he was about to find out. "You look even more radiant then the last time that I saw you..." A blush crossed her face, and she smiled none-too-shyly. "What brings you here?"  
  
"Well, nothing much..." She switched her gaze from him to the stairs for a moment, and then her smile returned in full force. "I wanted to know how you were adjusting to everything...You seemed so ill, even when you left...I couldn't help but feel slightly responsible- what with...." That was the point when Miroku unintentionally tuned out, as his thoughts turned to the miko who was still up the stairs, or so he assumed. Damn it...Irked, he ran his fingers through his bangs, an annoying habit he seemed to have gained ever since he had gotten to Kagome's time. Even when I am trying to think of this woman, Kagome still...occupies my thoughts...Gods have mercy...  
  
Finally he was aware of the fact that Yoko was still talking rather fast, and he realized that she had asked him something. "Ah...yes, sure..."  
  
"Really?!" Yoko launched herself at him, careful not to aggravate his wounds further. "Great! How about Friday at seven?"  
  
Nearby, from her spot in the hall, Kagome watched as the scene unfolded, dread growing in her heart. He agreed to go on a date with her?! Sinking down on to her bottom, she shut her eyes tightly. She wasn't even aware of when Yoko left, leaving a befuddled monk behind. A date? Friday at seven? Oh gods, what have I gotten myself into? And what about Kagome? I... Oddly enough, the house was silent, Souta being up in his room, Grandpa of somewhere, and Risa ironing. But where was Kagome? A soft, ominous sob answered his question, and he turned to the noise. "Kagome, Kagome did you...hear...?"  
  
"Yeah..." His eyebrows flew up as Kagome pushed herself out of her crouch, eyes burning with anger as she came close, and almost chest to chest. "You arrogant jerk...You are absolutely incorrigible....Gah! I have guys like you at school...!" She poked him in the chest. "You think that you are all that... the best thing ever!"  
  
Wait, guys like me? At school? Oddly enough, the thought didn't bode well with him. If there were boys like him, then...  
  
"I swear...You must think that you are god's gift to women, and...And!" Kagome trailed off, and then brushed an angry tear off of her reddened cheeks. "Never mind.... Have fun Friday, I'm going to go and talk to mom... And whatever happens, it's you fault." A heartbroken look and she turned on her heel and left.  
  
----  
  
Next Author: Juju  
  
Due Date: May 4, 2004  
  
Group Notes: Last date to jump onboard the Round Robin is May 1, 2004.  
  
Group Info: This Round Robin competion is sponsored by the members of MonkandMiko Yahoo! Group, a fan listing of the InuYasha pairing of Miroku/Kagome. The group features fan fiction, fan art, links, chat, contests, and social interaction with other Miroku/Kagome fans. To join go here: monkandmiko-subscribeyahoogroups.com or http: groups. Yahoo. com/ group/ monkandmiko just take out the spaces.


	11. A Plan

General Info: Round Robin #1 for Monk_and_Miko Yahoo! Group  
  
Title: Bed Ridden  
  
Summary: He's lived through a cursed hand, demons, and a hanyou with an attitude-but can our sixteenth century Houshi take the stimulation of the twentieth century? [MK]  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Chapter Author: Juju  
  
Chapter Summary: Kagome comes up with a plan.  
  
Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi, we are not.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 11: A Plan  
  
Kagome sank down against the wall, gasping uncontrollably. How could he...do this?! To her! When, only a few minutes ago, she'd been practically...screwing him on the bathroom floor! Rage overwhelmed her, and she let out another angry sob. What was she supposed to do? What the HELL was she supposed to do? It would have been different if they'd only been neighbors, but she actually had to live with the guy!  
  
And on top of all that, she was going to suffer in vain with her mother. An image of herself as Joan of Arc popped into her head, and a wild giggle fought its way out of her mouth before she remembered what she was supposed to be doing. Which was, of course, feeling angry and homicidal towards Miroku aka "HER DEAR COUSIN" at the moment. Ooh...and that nurse. Well, she'd just have to do something about that.  
  
A tiny smile played upon her lips as an evil plot came to mind.  
  
"SOUTA!!!" The said brother came running full speed down the hall from his room.  
  
"Yes, dear sister?" He gave her a very Miroku-esque smirk, and she inwardly groaned. This wasn't working out the way it should have...She trampled the instinct to turn and run in the other direction, toward her mother and a lecture on the dangers of premarital sex. Ah, well. Nothing she hadn't heard a million times before...  
  
-Flashback-  
  
"All right, class, today is the first day of...erm..." The balding subsititute teacher cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses nervously, peering down at the clipboard before him. "...sex education."  
  
Giggles erupted from the back like wildfire, washing over the classroom and sending thirty-three sixth graders into hysterics. The teacher sighed and tapped his pen on the clipboard.  
  
"Calm down, everybody! Now, as you all know, your regular teacher isn't here today, so it appears that I have to teach...Erm, have any of you heard of..." He adjusted his glasses again, mopping at his forehead with a large, limp handkerchief. "...Sammy Sperm and Edith Egg?"  
  
-End of Flashback-  
  
Kagome groaned again. Ugh, wrong one. She giggled a little in spite of herself, earning her a suspicious glance from Souta. Straightening up, she looked him squarely in the eye and struggled not to laugh. 'I swear to God, or whatever else is up there, I must be going insane...'  
  
"I need your help."  
  
The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, or, for that matter, consider the consequences of voicing such a thing to her brother. The brother who was turning out to be just like Miroku...  
  
She sighed once and braced herself for the impact. As expected, Souta began to rattle of a long list of expectations/commands. Kagome allowed herself to space out through his lecture, a devious plan once again forming in her mind.  
  
"...and void in every area except for Yugoslavia and Japan." Whoa. That was a new one. She opened her mouth, but stopped when he began to speak again.  
  
"So, dear sister, what is it that you need help with so desperately?"  
  
She took a breath.  
  
"Souta...I need you to help me ruin Miroku's date..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Next Author: Chiisai-tori  
  
Due Date: May 4, 2004  
  
Group Notes: The last day to jump onboard the groups round robin is May 1, 2004. Also, for those on FanFiction.net go here to see about a contest sponsored by Monk_and_Miko Yahoo! Group.http:// www. mediaminer. org/ fanfic/ view_st.php/ 60422/ (Just remove the spaces. Had to put spaces in to have it show up on FF.net.)  
  
Group Info: This Round Robin competition is sponsored by the members of the Monk_and_Miko Yahoo! Group, a fan listing of the InuYasha pairing of Miroku/Kagome. The group features fan fiction, fan art, links, chat, contests, and social interaction with other Miroku/Kagome fans. To join go here: monkandmiko-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or http: // groups. yahoo. com/ group/ monkandmiko (again the spaces.) 


	12. The Trap Is Set

General Info: Round Robin #1 for the Monk_and_Miko Yahoo! Group  
  
Title: Bed Ridden  
  
Summary: He's lived through a cursed hand, demons, and a hanyou with an attitude-but can our sixteenth century Houshi take the stimulation of the twentieth century? [MK]  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Chapter Author: Chiisai-tori  
  
Chapter Summary: In which Kagome gets sneaky, and Miroku is vastly outnumbered.  
  
Disclaimer: Do I look Japanese?? Oh...you can't see me! Well, Rumiko Takahashi, I ain't!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 12: The Trap Is Set  
  
Kagome took great care to keep her tone even when she 'unexpectedly' announced her intention to return to the feudal era. Miroku, she was pleased to note, didn't look exactly thrilled about her going. But then again, he didn't try to stop her either.  
  
"Have a nice time," was all he said. She nearly 'feh-ed' in his face. But by some miracle, she kept her composure.  
  
Shortly after her announcement, Miroku went upstairs, uncharacteristically somber. Risa offered to help him, but he refused politely. 'And that's just lucky for you,' she thought disparagingly. 'I might just have let you trip!' Nobody cheated on her daughter and got away with it – no matter how polite they were!  
  
As soon as the moody monk had left, Kagome leaned towards her family. "Alright – you know what you have to do?" They all nodded. "Great! I'll be back tomorrow...unless Inuyasha has other ideas. Well, ja ne!"  
  
***  
  
"Kagomeeee!"  
  
"Kagome-chan? Oh, it's good to see you, how – OOF!" The demon exterminator exhaled in a rush as she was suddenly glomped.  
  
"Gotta talk to you," Kagome muttered quickly before pulling away. Smile still firmly in place, she turned to see Inuyasha glaring at her. "What?"  
  
"Stupid wench, what took you so long?"  
  
She glared right back at him. "Inuyasha...SIT!"  
  
Hmm...speaking of Inuyasha, wasn't she supposed to be in love with him? Yes. Then what was this NOTHING that she was feeling? Could her heart really have changed so drastically in a few short weeks?  
  
Apparently it could.  
  
Rather than feeling sad, or even guilty for 'betraying' him – the strangest thing was happening. She was feeling very sorry for Kikyo, and even indignant on her behalf. She hadn't been able to imagine it before - having your love turn their attention to someone else – and so she hadn't really understood. But now...now she knew. And she didn't blame the miko for being mad. Not in the slightest!  
  
A giggle escaped her at the picture of herself and Kikyo sitting down for a good rant/consolation session, bemoaning the infidelity of men, and two in particular.  
  
At her laugh Sango looked at her curiously. "Kagome-chan," she improvised, "there's a hot spring nearby that I've been dying to visit. Shall we?"  
  
Kagome rolled her eyes inwardly. No points for creativity, but at least it worked.  
  
Inuyasha scowled. "What about the shards? There's-"  
  
"I can't stay long enough to go on a hunt, Inuyasha. This is just a 'hi there, how are you?' kind of thing. I'm going back tomorrow, whether you like it or not." Without waiting to hear his reply, she grabbed Sango by the arm and dragged her away.  
  
Shippo watched them go, confused. "She came here to take a bath? She can do that in her own time! What's going on?"  
  
***  
  
Once the girls were comfortably in the steaming water, Kagome told her story – not without many blushes on her part. Sango's face looked shocked, amused, and finally outraged. "He did WHAT?" When it looked as though Sango was going to jump up and attack the libidinous monk on sight (whenever she next saw him – who knew when that would be?) Kagome hurried to calm her down. "Don't worry, Sango-chan. You can still knock him out later if you want to, but I've got this all planned out." One quickly whispered conversation – and a lot of giggling – later, Sango was suitably impressed.  
  
"That's a lot of work, Kagome-chan. But why are you here, if you're going to set this up in your time?"  
  
Kagome beamed. "Did I ever tell you my family is very...helpful? Well, the whole idea is that he musn't find out. And obviously, if I'm here, then I can't be planning stuff there. He has no clue that all the Higurashis are working together..."  
  
Sango chuckled in satisfaction. "Ooh, he's going to regret this!"  
  
Kagome paused. "So...you're not mad?"  
  
Sango sighed. "No not really. Besides, we would have driven each other mad eventually." She grinned. "I just wish I could see his face when-"  
  
"Shh!" Kagome hissed, hearing footsteps coming closer. "The guys can't find out – they'll tell! Oh, man, who's coming?..."  
  
Shippo popped out of the bushes, brushing dead leaves out of his red hair. "Kagome?"  
  
The girls slumped in sudden relief. Not busted.  
  
***  
  
Meanwhile, Miroku was wrestling with two very intimidating things.  
  
Using the telephone without help. Finding out exactly what he had gotten himself into with that nurse.  
  
All he knew was 'Friday, seven o'clock.' There were other things he needed to know – where, how much, how to get there...ugh. Briefly he considered not going. The woman seemed nice enough (it certainly didn't hurt that she was...um, well built) but he didn't know her. Not like Kagome.  
  
Then he thought of Kagome...and Inuyasha...and his resolve strengthened. He looked at the 'phone number' on the wrinkled paper in his hand an dialed quickly. While he was waiting for an answer, Souta wandered into the room. "What'cha doing?"  
  
"Calling Yoko," the monk mumbled, preoccupied. He didn't see the boy's ears prick up – someone on the other end had picked up. 'Ah, finally...'  
  
"Hello?" Wow. She even sounded bouncy.  
  
"Ah...hello, Yoko-san. I-"  
  
"Oh, Miroku! I recognized your voice! You know, I'm just so looking forward to Friday night! They say that Zapulla's is a fantastic place."  
  
"Zapulla's," Miroku repeated, relieved. At least he didn't have to ask!  
  
"Yeah, apparently the food there is awesome! You don't mind if I pick you up a little early? Say, around 6:30? I want to get a good park close to the restaurant."  
  
Ah. She was picking him up. "No, no, that's fine," he assured her dutifully. "6:30 is fine."  
  
"Great!" she squealed; he held the receiver away from his ear, wincing. She babbled something about 'see you Friday' and hung up. He blinked at the phone still in his hand, non-plussed. 'Well. That was...quick.'  
  
Souta watched him walk out, mentally reviewing what he had heard. 'Zapulla's, 6:30 pick up, dinner at 7. Too easy – mission accomplished!'  
  
***  
  
Kagome literally bounded through the door and nearly crashed straight into her startled grandfather. "Oops! Sorry, Grandpa! Did I hurt you?"  
  
"No. Keep it down, your mother is on the phone – oh, no!" The old man scuttled over to Miroku, who had just entered the room near Risa. "Miroku! As a monk, I'm sure you would be interested in what I found today. Come and look-" he latched onto Miroku's shoulder "-at these. Sacred teacups! I first heard of them..." His voice faded as he pulled the bemused monk away.  
  
Risa heaved a sigh of relief. She put one hand over the mouthpiece to talk to her daughter. "I think Miroku is suspicious – every time he sees me on the phone, Dad rushes over and starts babbling." She frowned. "He's overdoing it, perhaps, but it's working." She suddenly remembered that she was on the phone and hurriedly took her hand away. "Hello? Yes, sorry about that." She listened for a moment. "Well, actually, she's right here, if you would like to talk to her yourself." Risa listened again, then smiled and handed the phone to her daughter. "It's him."  
  
Kagome gulped, suddenly reluctant. "Really? You found him?"  
  
Her mother just smiled indulgently. "If you really want to do this...talk to him."  
  
Kagome took a deep breath – and began her career as a pathological liar. "Hi, Maruku. It's me, Kagome Higurashi. You remember me, the strange girl with a fiancé?"  
  
"Yes, I remember. I'm just curious – but why did you call me at the taxi company?"  
  
"Well, I couldn't look you up at home, because I didn't know your full name. And, well, my mother has been calling around for me, trying to find you. The only thing we knew was that you worked there." She fidgeted anxiously. 'Please let this work – and don't let me lose my nerve!'  
  
"Ah. So...what are you calling about?" The voice was definitely curious...  
  
She swallowed. "You remember that coffee you asked me out for? Well, how would you like to upgrade it to dinner?"  
  
Silence on the line. Then, "What about your fiancé?"  
  
Time to win that Academy award. "He -" she choked convincingly "- he cheated on me!" Sniffle.  
  
"He WHAT?" Ooh, he sounded mad. "I'll kill him! Well, maybe not KILL him, but...he's an idiot."  
  
She 'brightened'. "Yeah. And now I just want to get over him, and you already asked, so I thought...well, would you like to?" She spotted Souta and motioned him over quickly. "Details?" she whispered urgently.  
  
"Zapulla's, pick up here at 6:30, dinner at 7."  
  
"I was thinking, maybe we could go to that new restaurant, Zapulla's?" she said into the phone.  
  
"Uh, yeah. Sure. Umm...7:30 Friday?" The poor kid sounded stunned.  
  
"Hmm, that's a bit late." She pretended to think. "How about 7?"  
  
"Oh, okay. 7 o'clock. I'll pick you up?"  
  
She pondered for a second. Wait – Miroku was getting picked up by Nurse Spongebath then! That wouldn't do at all. "No, I'll meet you there, okay?"  
  
"Right. Meet there at 7. I – aw, man. I gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow night, okay Kagome?" She could practically see him beaming at her.  
  
"Okay, Maruku. See you then." She listened to the click of the phone hanging up, then put the receiver down.  
  
Souta grinned at her. "All set?"  
  
"Yep. You? Got everything ready for the big night?"  
  
"Of course!" he said, acting offended.  
  
Risa looked at her concernedly. "Kagome, I know I helped you with this, but I just have to make sure. Are you certain you know what you're doing? This Maruku seems nice – but if you wanted nice, why not go with Houjo? It would have been much easier."  
  
Kagome sighed. "Not Houjo. My friends know him, and I have to see him at school! Besides, Miroku was already jealous of Maruku from the beginning. This will drive him crazy!" She rubbed her hands in anticipation. "Thanks to Souta here," she grinned at her brother conspiratorially, "his so-called date will be a catastrophe...and I'll be there to see it."  
  
"This isn't like you," Risa shook her head worriedly. "It's almost...cruel."  
  
"But he deserves it," Kagome told her. "And as for Nurse 'here's my number if you want private assistance', well..." Her eyes narrowed. "She's going down!" ___________________________  
  
Next Author: Ms. Videl Son  
  
Due Date: May 8, 2004  
  
Group Notes: Monk_and_Miko is sponsoring a fanfiction contest. For complete rules and information please go here: http:// www. mediaminer. org/ fanfic/ view_st.php/ 60422/ (Had to put in spaces so it shows up on FF.net. So please take the spaces out.) or go to the group site. (Address below.)  
  
Group Info: This Round Robin competition is sponsored by the members of the Monk_and_Miko Yahoo! Group, a fan listing of the InuYasha pairing of Miroku/Kagome. The group features fan fiction, fan art, links, chat, contests, and social interaction with other Miroku/Kagome fans. To join go here: http:// group/ monkandmiko/ (again, the spaces) or: monkandmiko-subscribe@yahoogroups.com 


	13. The Date of Evil!

**General Info: **Round Robin #1 for MonkandMiko Yahoo! Group

**Title: **Bed Ridden

**Summary: **He's lived through a cursed hand, demons, and a hanyou with an attitude-but can our sixteenth century Houshi take the stimulation of the twentieth century? [MK]

**Rating: **PG-13

**Chapter Author: **Horridporrid

**Chapter Summary: **Pranking is all very fun, until someone loses an eye.

**Disclaimer: **I actually do have a hammer. More than one even. And one of them has a pink handle. That was painted. By my grandmother-in-law.

****

**Chapter Thirteen: The Date of Evil!!**

Souta slipped silently up the stairs, body hugging the wall. "Agent X, highly trained international spy, penetrates enemy lines," he muttered, as he slid into the hallway. "Silently he moves in on his unsuspecting prey." Souta belly crawled towards his bedroom door. "The entire mission hangs on his deadly skill. His team is counting on him." He climbed carefully to his feet, reading himself for the final rush into his room. "This is it. All of his training, his finely honed senses, it all comes down to –,"

"What are you doing?"

"Gaaahhh!" Souta tried unsuccessfully to climb the wall. Twisting around, he glared up at the person who'd snuck up on him. "Oh! Miroku, I... uh..."

Miroku stared down at him and Souta could feel himself starting to sweat. Where had Miroku come from? He was supposed to be reading quietly in Souta's and his bedroom. He couldn't possibly suspect... But, hey, wait a minute... "Did you just come out of Kagome's room?"

Now Miroku looked a little nervous. Smelling blood, Souta eagerly pressed his advantage. "What were you doing in there? You know Kagome's gone back to the feudal era. I don't think she'd like you being in there while she's gone."

Miroku scratched the back of his head and gave a goofy grin. "I was looking for a pencil?"

Souta narrowed his eyes. Come on! Was that the best Miroku could come up with? The guy was usually a lot smoother than that. For a moment, Souta considered pursuing the issue; there was definitely good blackmail material to be had here. But then he remembered his mission. With a sigh he let Miroku off the hook. "Yeah, whatever. Grandpa wants to see you. He's out by the tree."

Miroku looked relieved to escape so easily. For a moment Souta actually felt sorry for him. But only for a moment. After all, Miroku had brought this on himself. With strengthened resolution, Souta followed Miroku down the stairs. He lingered by the living room window until he had confirmed that Grandpa had Miroku fully entrenched in conversation. Then he dove through the kitchen doorway, rolled behind the counter, and cautiously raised his head to peer over the top.

His mother stood ready by the kitchen phone, and after ascertaining that there were no enemy agents about, Souta gave her a thumbs-up. "Subject has been successfully diverted," he said tersely. "You are go on stage two. Repeat, you are go on stage two." His mother gave him a quick nod of confirmation and picked up the phone. Souta felt a burst of pride; she was such a professional.

Confident that stage two was under control, Souta rolled back out of the kitchen and belly crawled back to the living room window. "Agent X settles into watch mode. He is the first line of warning, and nothing will get by him. Operation "Disaster Date" has begun." An evil grin stretched across his face. It wasn't laxative in the tea, but revenge was still going to be sweet.

* * *

"Thank you so much for your assistance. And I apologize for being a pest," Risa said sweetly into the phone.

"Oh, no! You're not a bother at all. I completely understand your concerns and I want to assure you that we at Zapulla's are happy to assist. I will personally see to it that your nephew has a wonderful time, the poor boy."

"Thank you again." Risa hung up the phone, unable to avoid a twinge of guilt for lying to such a kind and helpful man. But hopefully, if everything went as planned, the staff of the Zapulla's would have no idea they were being used.

* * *

Miroku hunched down in front of the Souta height mirror and tightened his tie. He still did not fully understand the clothing of this era. The only thing this piece of cloth seemed good for was to slowly strangle him to death. And maybe blind him if he looked at it for too long. He'd never seen those particular colors before, at least not on something noxiously evil. But it came with the outfit and he'd been assured that it was proper attire for this time. The knot hadn't been that difficult; just a matter of remembering when the fox went around the tree and when it went down into its den. Souta had been thrilled to talk him through it before racing off downstairs.

Actually, Souta was unnaturally excited about this whole date thing. And Mrs. Higurashihad been strangely helpful, getting this outfit for him and not saying a word about him mauling Kagome one moment and then socializing with another woman the next. It was puzzling. And Miroku wished he could question Kagome about it. But she'd barely come home and then she was running back to Inuyasha.

Miroku closed his eyes and thumped his head against the wall. He was not supposed to be thinking about Kagome, and he was not supposed to be jealous of Inuyasha. He was supposed to be glad Kagome was running back to Inuyasha. He was supposed to be glad that Kagome was not hung up on a perverted, cursed, unworthy monk. He was supposed to be eager to see Nurse Yoko with the round bottom and the beckoning eyes. He was definitely not supposed to want to retreat back to Kagome's room, curl up on her bed, drown in her scent and ache for her return. And going through her drawer of undergarments again was definitely out.

Downstairs he heard the chime of the doorbell and then the gentle sound of polite chatter. Miroku pulled himself upright and straightened his shoulders. Pasting on his best smile he prepared to go forth and conquer. He was going to have fun. Even if it killed him.

* * *

"Have a good time," Risa said with a smile, and then closed the door with a sigh. She knew she shouldn't, but she actually felt bad for Miroku. The poor boy looked so miserable. Of course it may have been the suit.

"Are they gone?" Kagome called out as she snuck in the back door.

"Kagome! You are totally breaking mission parameters," Souta protested. "I haven't given you the all clear."

"Yes, they're gone," Risa said before an argument could start. "You'd better go get ready."

Kagome headed for the stairs, but then she paused. "Did he look hideous?"

"Well, the suit and tie weren't very flattering," Risa said diplomatically.

"And was Nurse Sponge-bath horrified?"

"She was surprised, I think. But she said he looked 'retro.'"

"Jeez. How desperate could she be?"

"I think she was trying to be polite," Risa said, but Kagome was already pounding up the stairs.

* * *

Worst. Date. Ever. And she'd had such high hopes too. He'd seemed so cute and sexy in the hospital. And now he was sitting across from her in the ugliest, baggiest, brownest suit she'd ever seen (she wasn't even going to start on the tie), staring around like he'd never been in a restaurant before, wearing a bib. And it wasn't an "ooh, difficult shellfish" bib either. It was an actual, "this man may dribble on himself" bib! And Miroku hadn't even blinked an eye when the waitress wrapped it around his neck.

It was excruciating. Here she was in a trendy new restaurant, a great place to see and be seen, and she was trapped with man-in-a-bib. Though, in the grateful for small mercies department, at least the bib covered the tie. And then Yoko realized the gods hated her. Because winding his way through the tables was her ex. Looking stunning as always. Yoko wondered if there was a smooth way to slide under the table.

Evidently her panic wasn't as subtle as she thought, because Miroku actually tore himself away from his intense perusal of the wall sconce to look at her enquiringly. Then he glanced in the mirror behind her and blanched, and Yoko thought he might just end up joining her under the table.

* * *

Miroku decided that he'd finally gone crazy. Or maybe the plethora of mirrors hung about this place really were evil. Because Kagome was supposed to be back in the feudal era, safely hunting for shards with Inuyasha, or maybe soaking all naked and drowsy in a hot spring with Sango. She was definitely not supposed to be walking towards him, followed too closely by a far too old for her guy, while wearing a tiny pink dress that somehow combined innocence and promise in one intoxicating package.

His hands fisted in his lap, and Miroku welcomed the bite of the rosary into his palm, as Kagome smiled sweetly at the man sitting down across from her. A pretty blush spread across her cheeks and if Miroku had any powers worth anything, the man's head would have exploded like a ripe melon dropped off a high cliff. And then Kagome looked at Miroku. Just looked up, met his gaze, and without a blink of surprise looked back at her companion. "You little schemer," Miroku breathed, a hint of admiration in his tone.

"What was that?"

Reminded of his own dining companion, Miroku fixed her with a pointed stare. "Tell me truthfully: I am not dressed properly."

Yoko gaped at him for a moment. "I... Well, I would say that particular shade of brown is not really your color," she said hesitantly.

"And the fit is wrong if I'm not mistaken." Miroku barely waited for her nod of agreement before he pulled off the cloth tied around his neck. "And not all diners are given such covering, correct?"

Yoko laughed weakly. "Not usually," she agreed.

"And my tie is hideous."

"Grotesque actually."

Miroku nodded grimly. "Then I must apologize to you. It seems we are the victims of a prank."

"A prank? What –," The flickering of the lights cutoff whatever Yoko was about to ask. The conversation of the surrounding diners died down before rising to an excited murmur.

"Oh, not again," Yoko said in exasperation. "I thought they'd gotten this fixed."

The lights flickered again, and Miroku, looking back into the mirror, saw dawning panic in Kagome's eyes, before the lights went completely out, plunging the restaurant into darkness.

**:::end of chapter:::**

* * *

****

**Next Author: **Rurouni Star

**Due Date: **May 31, 2004

**Group Notes: **MonkandMiko is sponsoring a fanfiction contest. For complete rules and information please go here: **http:www. mediaminer. org/ fanfic/ viewst.php/ 60422/** (Had to put in spaces so it shows up on FF.net. So please take the spaces out.) or go to the group site. (Address below.) We would love some more participation.

**Group Info: **This Round Robin competition is sponsored by the members of the MonkandMiko Yahoo! Group, a fan listing of the InuYasha pairing of Miroku/Kagome. The group features fan fiction, fan art, links, chat, contests, and social interaction with other Miroku/Kagome fans. To join go here: **http:groups. yahoo. com/ group/ monkandmiko/** (again, the spaces) or: **monkandmiko-subscribe yahoogroups.com**

****


	14. The Plan Screws Up

**General Info:** Round Robin #1 for the Monk-andMiko Yahoo! Group  
  
**Title:** Bed Ridden  
  
**Summary:** He's lived through a cursed hand, demons, and a hanyou with an attitude-but can our sixteenth century Houshi take the stimulation of the twentieth century? [MK]  
  
**Rating:** PG-13  
  
**Chapter Author:** Rurouni Star  
  
**Chapter Summary:** There are many things to do in the dark – but none of them come into play here.  
  
**A/N:** Second lights out in this story. Geck. And I didn't even initiate it this time (although... there were nicer possibilities with the last one that I never got to... )  
  
**Disclaimer:** Uhm. I'm disclaiming. Really, I am. See me disclaim?

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen: The Plan Screws Up**

****

****  
  
"Wonderful," Miroku groaned.

The woman in the seat across from him might have echoed him if she weren't deathly scared someone across the room was going to hear her. She needn't have worried – the restaurant's workers were already escorting people outside to the patio where candlelit seating was available.

The monk blinked his eyes furiously, trying to make them adjust to the sudden lack of lighting, and muttered a few choice words about Kagome's sense of humor.

Then, he made the mistake that everyone else in that era had learned not to make from various movies and books.

"Could this get any worse?" Miroku muttered irritatedly.

And then, of course – it did.

"Ssssshardssss..." a voice hissed through the darkness.

"Did you hear that?" Miroku whispered disbelievingly, not daring to say it more loudly.

"H-hear what?" Yoko asked with a shiver and a glance at the darkness that probably held her ex somewhere.

"The Ssssshikon no Tama'sss ssssshardssss... where are they?"

Miroku made to rise from the table slowly. "Where are you going?" Yoko asked. 

"To find out what's going on," he responded quietly.

She smiled at him reassuringly, not seeming too miffed – he'd seen that smile on women before, though it hadn't usually been directed his way. Miroku inwardly grimaced. She'd be gone with the rest of the disgruntled patrons before he got back.

Kagome was definitely going to pay for this.

Preferably with her lips.

His mouth quirked into a tiny grin as he made his way past the tables, making himself a mental map of where things had been before the blackout. If Kagome was where she had been before... 

There was another hiss then, and a tiny 'eep' in a high-pitched voice he couldn't fail to recognize. And the grin disappeared.

"Hssssst! Where did you hide them?"

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Kagome's voice came, shaky. "H-hide what?"

'Good girl', Miroku thought. 'Stall it.'

"Give me the sssshardssss! You know where they are!"

The monk crept closer, wincing as he realized he didn't have his shakujo or his ofuda. Really, how did people in this era ever survive?

  
"I- I don't have any shards!"

That one was rather unconvincing. Unfortunately, whatever was holding her seemed to think so too – as Miroku crept closer, he could just make out the silhouette of a vaguely humanoid creature with a Kagome-shaped shadow in its grasp. Something that looked suspiciously like a scorpion tail was drawing back, readying itself to strike-

Kazaana was not an option here. Therefore, he dove.

Miroku instinctively wrapped his arms about the thing, pulling it with him to the ground and wondering why it felt so much softer and so much more... curvy... than he'd expected.

Swearing mentally, he turned his body to take the impact for the both of them. The tiled floor hit his back hard – followed by the very pleasant feeling of Kagome's body pressed against him, her face buried in the crook of his arm.

"Killitkillitkillitkillit..." she moaned into him. Briefly, he wondered why he wasn't hearing more of a reaction from the remaining guests in the dark... then he remembered flying through the incorporeal body of the demon. Miroku might have smacked himself in the head had his hand not been rather nicely occupied elsewhere.

Pushing heated thoughts immediately from his head (demon, he remembered, there's still a demon here...), the monk sat up and pushed Kagome gently away, trying to think of something he could do in the next... two seconds... before the advancing dark shape got to him. 

"Ideas?" he asked Kagome helplessly.

She gulped, eyes fixed on the rather imposing shape now that he saw it better...

"Pen!" she said suddenly – and dove for the table where she'd been sitting. Miroku didn't know what she was talking about and didn't exactly have time to ask. The thing reached him then, and the arm that caught him in the chest definitely felt solid this time.

Miroku bit his lip, taking the blow and rolling with it to come back up to his knees just a little slower than he would normally, one hand going instinctively to his still-healing wound.

It was stalking toward him again, and he recognized the slow gait from other, more animalistic demons he had fought before – a hunter, toying with its prey.

And then, Kagome was helping him up, an arm behind him, and her hand closing on his. Then, he felt her pressing something into it.

A napkin? 

"Kagome," he muttered, "In case you were wondering – the time for practical jokes is officially over."

"No!" she told him in exasperation, "Use it!"

And then he brought it into the light and saw that she'd torn a strip from a napkin and written (in very bad handwriting, he noticed) the characters for an ofuda scroll.

"You can't expect this to work!" he told her with a coughing laugh, eyes still following the circling creature. "First off, you'd have to be a priest to even make it-"

"So try it!" she hissed in his ear, sending delightful little tingles down his spine. "It's better than nothing!"

This was so.

Especially since she was suddenly not behind him anymore. In point of fact, she was once again dangling a few feet from the ground.

  
"I'll jussssst eat her! The sssshardssss are inssssside sssssomewhere!"

Miroku's mouth hardened into a line – he stood up immediately. "Put her down," he said quietly.

The demon wasn't listening. He saw, in the darkness, that its mouth was now distending grotesquely – it did indeed intend to eat her whole.

"Or not," Miroku finished under his breath – and leapt.

The characters on the material in his hand flared to life before his eyes, but the creature was already holding her above its jaw – and Kagome screamed.

There was a blinding flash of light.

And when he had managed to clear the spots from his eyes, Miroku saw that there was no longer any shadow scorpions. Just Kagome, huddled on the ground and whimpering. Something in his chest tightened, and he moved to put his hands on her shoulders. 

"Kagome!" he said in a hoarse voice, "Did he hurt you?"

She squeaked and pulled away. "N-no! No, not at all, stay away, don't come near me!"

He frowned as she skittered backward, leaning against the wall and fiddling with something.

"Look, if you'll let me see it, I'm sure I can do something-"

"NO!" she interrupted fiercely. "Stay – stay on that side of the room. Stay there! I'm watching you!"

Miroku sighed and moved toward her, disregarding her sudden aversion to him. She turned to flee toward the nearest door, leaving him to wonder just what, exactly, had made her so gods damned scared of him.

The priest sprinted to catch her, and reached out his arm. It slid around her waist, closing around it and pulling her backward against him, and then he realized...

Her dress strap had broken.

"Oh god," Kagome moaned, her head falling back to hit his chest with a thud. "I am never going to live this down."

And, though he really, really, really wanted to do otherwise, Miroku felt his gentlemanly tendencies object and force him to. He pulled off his jacket and put it around her shoulders. 

"Home?" he offered, trying to keep the strain from his voice.

Kagome stared at him. 

"Unless, of course," he added, unable to resist, "you wanted to take me into the bathroom and ravish me right here."

The girl put a hand to her forehead and tried to make her giggle not sound hysterical. "No thank you," she told him. "The ravishing will have to wait."]

He snapped his fingers with an overdramatic sigh and turned his back oh-so-respectfully while she buttoned the jacket (he only peeked twice). And when she was done, he offered her his arm.

When they got outside, he smiled at her in a way that gave her slight chills. He was going to say something. Actually, he sort of had the right, since she'd sort of ruined his night, and sort of been the one to bring the jewel shards...

"That shade of brown is definitely your color," he said, managing somehow to keep a straight face.

And even though she was so completely humiliated and feeling quite guilty about the whole thing now that she had to wear the thing, she had to stop and stare at him.

Because his smile was so very handsome, and his hair was falling into his eyes in just the right way, and he looked almost dashing when he was just in that normal white undershirt.

So she leaned up to brush her lips against his cheek.

"Sorry," she whispered. "And... thank you."

  
Miroku's expression turned surprised and slightly pleased. And when her face colored red and she moved ahead of him, he rubbed his cheek with a gloved hand and grinned.

Well.

The night had been worth it after all.

* * *

**Next Author:** Chubbies 

**Due Date:** June 6, 2004

**Group Notes:** MonkandMiko is sponsoring a fanfiction contest. For complete rules and information please go here: **http:www. mediaminer. org/ fanfic/ viewst.php/ 60422/** (Had to put in spaces so it shows up on FF.net. So please take the spaces out.) or go to the group site. (Address below.) We would love some more participation.

**Group Info:** This Round Robin competition is sponsored by the members of the MonkandMiko Yahoo! Group, a fan listing of the InuYasha pairing of Miroku/Kagome. The group features fan fiction, fan art, links, chat, contests, and social interaction with other Miroku/Kagome fans. To join go here: **groups. yahoo. com/ group/ monkandmiko/** (again, the spaces) or: **monkandmiko-subscribe yahoogroups.com **


	15. Don't Know and Have No Opinion

**General Info:** Round Robin #1 for the MonkandMiko Yahoo! Group.

**Title:** Bed Ridden

**Summary:** He's lived through a cursed hand, demons, and a hanyou with an attitude- but can our sixteenth century Houshi take the stimulation of the twentieth century? [MK]

**Rating:** PG-13

**Chapter Author:** Crash

**Chapter Summary:** A little midnight snack in the kitchen.

**Disclaimer:** I hold no rights to Inuyasha in any way.

**Author Note:** I, for once, have finally written something that will further the plot line. Go figure. Hope everyone enjoys. And no skinning me if you don't like it. Or there will never be another bit of smut in this fic. Since it seems I'm the only one that really starts it. shrugs Go read.

* * *

****

**Chapter 15: Don't Know and have No Opinion**

****

Kagome had gone straight to her room after they got home, completely ignoring her family as she nearly ran up the stairs. She peeled the hideous brown jacket off and tossed it out into the hallway before slamming her bedroom door. She gently took off her ruined dress, lamenting the broken strap. Carefully looking over the damage, she decided that it could be fixed and sat down at her desk in just her  
underwear, digging out her sewing kit.  
  
It would take her a while, but she was determined to fix it. Anything so she could stay in her room and avoid telling her family why she had come home so early. With Miroku. Wearing his hideous brown jacket.  
  
And she would do even more to avoid seeing Miroku. She had ruined  
his date with that nurse, in more ways than just one. She had even gotten her family involved in her terrible plot for revenge over something that really shouldn't have bothered her. She let Inuyasha get away with much more. She always ended up returning to his side after he had done or said something stupid, or run off to see Kikyo.  
  
All Miroku had done was go out on one ... ONE ... date with that flirtatious nurse. Besides, he couldn't really be blamed for being cursed to an early death so that he needed an heir as soon as he could get one. And if the way the demons screamed when they were sucked into his hand, it wasn't going to be a very nice death. Though could anyone really call any death 'nice'?  
  
Kagome sighed as she looked down at the work her hands had been doing while her thoughts had been running wild. She was quite amazed to see that her dress was as good as new again. She turned to look at the clock beside her bed and saw that over three and a half hours had passed since she had gotten home.  
  
Her family had definitely gone to bed already, so she wouldn't have to deal with them until the next morning. And she hadn't eaten dinner at the restaurant earlier, due to the power outage and the demon attack. But she wasn't sure if she wanted to chance going to the kitchen and possibly running into a waiting Miroku. Her stomach grumbling loudly solved her inner debate. There was no way she'd be able to wait until breakfast the next morning.  
  
She looked down at herself and eep'ed, realizing she had been sitting in her room in just her panties and bra for almost four hours now. With a sigh, she put away her sewing kit, then stood up and tossed the dress in her clothes hamper. Quickly she changed her clothes and peeked out into the hallway. She didn't see any light coming from anywhere, and she heard no sounds, other than the soft snoring of Jii-chan.  
  
Kagome crept out of her room, towards the stairs, careful to avoid all the squeaky boards in the floor. She reached the stairs and peered down them, searching for any light she might not have seen from her room. Seeing none, Kagome quickly went down the stairs, skipping the ones she would squeak loud enough to wake anyone in the house.  
  
She made her way to the kitchen, and once inside, pressed herself against the wall, breathing a sigh of relief. Kagome decided to leave the light off, lest someone woke up and came to investigate the light on at midnight. She remained leaning against the wall for a moment longer, and would have screamed at the top of her lungs when a firm body pressed against her. Really she would have, but the person's lips had expertly covered her own before she could utter a sound.  
  
She felt a cloth and bead covered hand graze her left side and relaxed considerably at the knowledge that it was Miroku, and not just some stranger, physically accosting her in her own kitchen. Kagome raised her hands to his shoulders, which were oddly bare, and the stray thought that she hoped the rest of his body wasn't the same crossed her mind. Tossing the thought, as valid as it was, out of her mind, she pushed against his shoulders, not even realizing that she had responded to the kiss and his tongue was now happily writhing against her own happily writhing tongue in her mouth. She pulled back until her head hit the wall behind her before he released her lips, leaving them both panting for air.  
  
"What are you doing," Kagome asked, leaning forward to rest her forehead against his shoulder, her arms slipping around his shoulders. She felt his breath fluttering under her shirt as he panted with his nose buried in the crook of her neck.  
  
"You said the ravishing would have to wait until later. It's later. Plus," he breathed out, pulling back some to look at her face, smirking when he saw her flushed cheeks, "you ruined my date." He leaned forward and pressed his lips to her neck, his tongue caressing her skin.  
  
Kagome gasped as his tongue brushed over a sensitive spot just below her ear and fought to keep coherent thoughts in her mind. She couldn't do this with him. Not here. Not now. I'm suppose to love Inuyasha,' she thought, another gasp escaping her as Miroku's fingers worked their way under her pajama top. Then why does this feel so right with Miroku,' she thought as she relaxed against his lean body, her tongue snaking from her mouth to brush over his collarbone.  
  
Realizing what she was doing, she pulled her mouth from his skin and put a hand on an uninjured portion of his chest, pressing against him to get him to stop. "Miroku, we can't. Not here. What if Mom or Jii-chan, or worse yet, Souta, were to wake up and come down here," she said, pulling her head back to look at him. "I already have one dangers of premarital sex' talks coming from Mom. I don't need any more strange sex talks from her," Kagome said, leaning against the wall behind her, pressing a hand to her forehead.  
  
Miroku smirked at her in the dark. "If I understand correctly, premarital refers to before marriage?" he said, waiting for her confirmation.  
  
"Yes. That's exactly what it means," Kagome replied, wondering how someone from five hundred years in the past knew what the modern word meant.  
  
Miroku's smirk widened as he leaned closer. "Who said it had to be premarital?" he asked, his lips right next to her ear.  
  
Kagome shook her head, not believing he had just said that. "Whatever," she said as she pushed on his shoulders enough so that she could get away from him and the wall. She walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed a bento box with a note from her mother on it.  
  
Kagome,

Miroku said you hadn't eaten dinner at the restaurant, so I left this in here for you, just in case you got hungry.  
  
Love,  
Mom'  
  
Kagome shook her head at the note. Her mother was always doing things like that for her. She shut the door and grabbed a set of chop sticks as she headed out the door, only to be stopped by Miroku's hand on her arm.  
  
"Aren't you going to say anything?" he asked, looking her in the eye.  
  
"No," she replied simply.  
  
"Why not?" he demanded.  
  
"Because I don't know what to say," Kagome told him, shaking her arm free from his grasp and going back to her room.  
  
Leaving Miroku stunned in the kitchen. He leaned his back against the same wall he'd had her pinned to moments ago and slid down until he was sitting on the floor.

* * *

****  
Kagome sighed as she sat on her bed, the unopened bento box sitting  
before her. She had no idea what to think of what Miroku had said in the kitchen. It almost had sounded like a marriage proposal to her. But that couldn't be what it was. There was no way he would want to be with her for the rest of their lives. He liked grabbing other women's butts entirely too much for him to ever stay with just one woman.  
  
But maybe that was just some kind of self-defense mechanism he had.  
Some people had different things that they did to drive people away from them so they could avoid the heartbreak of being dumped later. Some didn't bathe, which was just plain disgusting. Some acted offensively, just like Inuyasha, she had realized long ago. And some grabbed your butt every chance they had. All just so they wouldn't get hurt.  
  
Kagome groaned and plopped back on her bed. The exact thing she had done to him in the kitchen. She had practically laughed in his face.  
  
With a sigh, she stood up and made her way back down to the kitchen.  
She looked around for a moment, and found him sitting on the floor,  
his head in his hands. Kagome crouched down next to him and took his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her.  
  
"Did you mean what you said?" she asked, waiting expectantly for his  
answer.

* * *

****

**Group Info: **This Round Robin competition is sponsored by the members of the Monk and Miko Yahoo! Group, a fan listing of the Inuyasha pairing of Miroku/Kagome. The group features fan fiction, fan art, links, chat, contests, and social interaction with other Miroku/Kagome fans. To join, click here: **monkandmiko****- subscribe yahoo groups. com** or go to: **http: groups. yahoo. com/ group/ monkandmiko** (had to put in spaces for FF.net, so take them out)

**Next Author: **Crimson Demon

**Due Date: **June 26, 2004

**Group Notes: **This chapter is dedicated to Chubbies, and her new baby. Congrats, and a quick recovery Chubbies!


	16. I'm Sorry an Erection Doesn't Count as P...

General Info: Round Robin #1 for the Monk and miko Yahoo! Group

Title: Bed Ridden

Summary: He's lived through a cursed hand, demons, and a hanyou with an attitude- but can our sixteenth century Houshi live through the stimulation of the twentieth century? [MK]

Rating: PG-13

Chapter Author: Crimson Demon

Chapter Summary: In which Kagome and Miroku have (Pre?) lover's quarrel, make up, and our houshi want's to play doctor.

Disclaimer: If I could think up something snappy, and funny, I would. But as it is, you'll have to deal with, I don't own them. Damn.

"Did you mean it?" Still hung in the air, unanswered by the houshi who was still leaning against the kitchen wall. His dark eyes bore in to her own, making her shift in frustration after a moment. "Miroku, please, did you mean it?" Her fingertips ghosted over his cheeks, and then his lips before she cupped his chin gently. "Miroku, aren't you going to say anything?" She didn't notice the fact that she used the exact same words he had moments ago, but he did.

And with slight, barely discernable, anger in his voice, as he answered. "_No_."

Kagome drew in a breath, in what might have been called a gasp if she had stopped to think about it, and moved until she was kneeling beside him. "No what, Miroku? No, you didn't mean it, or no, you won't answer me?"

A wry smirk curved his lips, and he reached up with both his hands, curling his fingers around her small wrists, before pulling them away, and then dropping them as if they had burned him. "Does it matter, Kagome-_sama_?" It was a lash to her heart, adding the -sama back to the end of her name. She blinked once, twice, lips parting slightly, small hands fisting in the semi-baggy pants of her pajama's, before turning burning blue-gray eyes up to his face. "I'm serious, Kagome-sama, does it even matter anymore? You've made it clear that you've no interest in this…" He paused, the smile pasted on his face containing no humor what so ever. "What ever the hell _this _is. So tell me, does it?"

Her breathing was growing shakier by the minute, with each precisely, cold word spoken. Fear prickled down her spine, and she ruthlessly fought it down. "Of course it matters, Miroku! I-I don't just…ugh…I don't know… I don't just say things because I can- I mean…" A frown crossed her face for a moment.

"I think you do sometimes, Kagome-sama…Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll leave you to your snack, and I shall go to bed." She was only able to stare after him as he pushed himself up, and strode away, blinking rapidly to clear the tears that were burning her eyes, and burning her vision. Oh gods, she had really screwed this up, hadn't she?

With slight disappointment, he noticed that she did not come after him.

Honestly, he had half hoped that she would stop him, but no, she didn't. And he refused to think about why. One thing was for sure though, he didn't know why he had reacted so, to her. Was it because he was still angered about the 'date' that he had went on that had been ruined (and he wasn't about to admit that he'd rather it hand been Kagome he had went out with) or was it the simple fact that she seemed to dance about anything, never giving him a straight answer.

Up in the safety of her room, Kagome took another bite of her bento, before sighing heavily, and setting her chopsticks down. She couldn't concentrate right now, even if it was on eating- she was still running over the conversation downstairs in her head. _Was I really that stupid? _She drew in a deep breath, and rested her cheek in her hand, chewing absently and then swallowing. _I should go and apologize to him- shouldn't I? I was kinda…mean…_ it couldn't hurt to go and talk to him at the very least. Decision made, she pushed herself away from her desk, and opened the door, sliding out and then closing it with a soft 'click'. Her footsteps barely making any sounds, she headed toward the spare room that they had given him when he arrived, where she knew he was 'sleeping' (which she doubted, but she didn't know) and paused before it.

Should she knock? It was her house, but it was 'his' room at this current time. Her hand seemed to make the decision for her, as she gently turned the door handle, and pushed it open with a soft creak. The entire room was dark- _well, duh, it is night…_She added snidely in her mind. There was a bed-shaped blob in the far right corner, and then what she assumed was a Miroku-shaped lump on the blob. Turning around, inside the room and then closing the door, she fidgeted for a moment. _I should really go. Shouldn't I? This is his room, and he's mad at me- but then, I'd be (more) mad at myself and…ugh! _Slowly she walked over to his bed, and through the moonlight that was shining through a cracked open window, she noticed it was he sprawled out on the bed. He was still shirtless, she noted, heart pounding so loud, she was sure it would wake him up. His hair was out of its usual small horsetail in the back, and was now hanging freely from its bindings. _Even now_, she realized, _I couldn't just stay mad at him forever. I can try, but…_

It was then she almost lost her nerve, but when he shifted, and rolled on to her side, she froze. "I thought you were eating," He murmured softly, and even in the darkness, she could see him open his eyes, and stare hard at her. "But instead, you are wandering in to other people's rooms at night…Are you really that bored?" There was no mistaking the sharp, mocking tone in his voice, and it surprised him. He was taking it a bit… overboard, wasn't he?

"You're being a jerk." Kagome sighed, reaching up and running a hand through her hair. Silently, the houshi agreed with her. "I came in here to apologize."

He didn't move, or even acknowledge that she was there.

There was silence for a moment, and then the girl crossed her arms. "I'm sorry."

"Hm." Was his noncommittal grunt, before he rolled over grimacing slightly as the stitches pulled painfully, turning his back to her. "Goodnight then." What was he waiting for? What did he want from her?! She had already apologized to him once, and he just ignored her?

"Is that all then?" She hissed, stalking to the edge of the bed, and reaching out to grab at his shoulder, gently. "I apologized, Miroku! The least you could do is at least acknowledge it."

"I did, Kagome-sama." He taunted, eyes still closed.

"You're such a…a jerk!" Swallowing again, she fought down her anger. Was he doing this on purpose? She didn't doubt it- but if so, why? What did he want her to say? Did he want her to get on her knees and beg for his forgiveness? If that was true, he shouldn't hold his breath- there was no way that she would. "You- you're so insufferable sometimes, you could **do** with some personal growth." Her nails dug in to the tan skin of his shoulder, and he winced a bit.

"I've grown, Kagome-sama." He shot back, rolling back over with another grimace. "Perhaps it's you who needs to grow up a- repeat that, please?" His face had gone from angered to slightly amazed in a matter of seconds, after hearing her soft, hissed comment. "_Kagome_, repeat that."

Mortified beyond belief, she shook her head. This wasn't good- he wasn't suppose to hear that! Drawing back her hand quickly, she bit her bottom lip. "I didn't **say** anything, Miroku…I-I-I've got to go though…Goodnight." She turned around as quickly as she could, yelping in surprise when a large hand reached out and grabbed her own, pulling her back over to the bed. She hadn't heard him move, which surprised her, and when he grabbed her other hand as well, she tried to get away. "Miroku, please, let me go."

"No, Kagome, not until you say what you had said before." There was no trace of the former anger, now only bemusement and something else. "Kagome, I'm not going to let you go until you say it again."

"Why should I?! You obviously heard it the first time- so I needn't say it again." She tugged her hands, but couldn't seem to free them from his grasp. "Miroku, I'll scream rape." She wouldn't, but he didn't need to know that, she added silently.

"Kagome," Oh no. He had that grin on his face again. The perverted grin that meant that either someone (in this case, her) was going to get groped, or he was going to say something perverted to someone, (again, in this case her) so either way, it wasn't going to be something good, by any stretch of the imagination. "And Kagome, just so you know, it isn't rape, if the other person is willing." He tugged her twice, until her knees bumped against the edge of the bed, and he was eye level with her breasts. A flush rushed over her cheeks, embarrassment evident. "Say it, Kagome."

"I-I said that…that an erection doesn't count as personal growth." She shifted nervously, eyes lowering until her eyelashes brushed against her cheeks. That deep, rolling laughter startled her, and she met his amused eyes after a moment. "It's not funny!" She whined, being pulled slightly forward, until she was kneeling on the edge of the bed, rather precariously, she noted, as he moved back. "Miroku…I…"

He was still bare chested, she noted with a hard swallow. "Yes, Kagome?"

By this time they were both kneeling on the bed, her hands still clasped in his, him being slightly taller then her at that point. Mouth oddly dry, and heart pounding loudly again, Kagome made the mistake of looking up in to his dark eyes- before **that** smile flitted across his face, and his lips gently claimed her own. It wasn't as if she didn't enjoy his kisses, because, _god_ she did, but it was the simple matter of fact, that one of these times…. She didn't fully _know_ if she could stop.

Her hands were released from his grip, and of their own accord rest lightly on his shoulders, fingernails digging in to the beautifully tan skin, unconsciously registering that his tongue had swept over her bottom lip. And then he nipped gently at her, a low moan escaping him when she parted her lips and pressed against him, deliciously warm, and soft. He didn't quite know what made her so…so, addictive, but whatever it was, it was just that, _addictive_. He couldn't seem to get close enough to her, to touch her enough, to kiss her enough, and he didn't know if he ever would.

Kagome pulled back for air first, panting, eyes large in the darkness, entire body burning- even though his hands had remained firmly planted on her waist, thumbs stroking absently. "Miro…ku…" The whispered name was barely audible as she looked away, suddenly self-conscious. He tilted his head forward again, burying his head in her neck, placing gentle kisses on the bared skin, before licking and nipping and making her body lean against his so that her head was resting on his shoulder, breath sliding over his bare skin as she drew in deep breaths to calm herself. He wasn't helping though, the open-mouthed kisses making it hard for her to actually see straight. (Which, she mused absently, wasn't really a problem. She didn't really need to see right now. But it'd be nice.)

His hands were still on her waist, beads from the rosary digging in slightly as his grip tightened after a moment. But no, he wouldn't do that to her. He wouldn't lose control and do what he so wanted to- and for that, his hands had to remain where they were. Damn. But with each whispered moan that he was _sure_ included his name, he came closer and closer to lifting his hands up, and seeing if she was just as soft as he believed she- no! Bad thoughts; wouldn't get him **anywhere**! (Um…well, besides where he wanted- _didn't _want to go.)

His self-control- which he had normally prided himself on having, was fraying, fraying, fraying, and then it was **gone** when she licked at his neck, moaned his name, and arched against him, inadvertently crushing her breasts against his chest. He was gone and hadn't stood a chance.

It was amazing how he went from gently kissing and holding her, to somehow twisting them so that they fell on to the bed, her under him, with a protesting squeak of the springs. They bounced once, and she let out a muffled giggle of surprise before he was covering her lips with his, sweeping his tongue through her mouth, and she didn't even care that she was suppose to be mad at him. Because she didn't even remember what they were fighting about anymore- he had that effect on people (women), and at this moment, she was enjoying it immensely. Heat wound through her body as she writhed under him, hands sliding over the broad planes of his muscled back, fingernails gently raking over the skin.

One of his hands slid down, pulling at the waistband of her pajama pants, work roughened fingertips brushing against her hip tantalizingly, eliciting a soft groan from the dark haired miko. Her legs slid up until they were bent at the knee, feet planted firmly, or as firmly as they could get in the rumpled bed-sheets, toes curling as he drew back for a breath, and then kissed her again. "Miroku…ah!" She gasped in surprise when the hand that had been at the waistband of her pants had crawled up, under her shirt, cold beads sliding over her stomach, and then running over her br-

"Oh _gross_."

Cold water seemed to pour over them, as he jerked his lips away, and turned his head, hoping against hope he wouldn't see Risa standing there waiting with a knife or some other object that could be used to cut off…needed things.... For 'molesting' her daughter. No, it wasn't Risa, but Souta who stood there, yawning, stretching, and wearing adorable little rocket-ship pajamas. "'Night." And he turned around, closed the door, and headed back to his room. Kagome laughed weakly, in relief and amazement.

"He was sleepwalking!" She tangled her fingers in his hair and pulled him down for a quick kiss on the lips. His eyebrows raised at her sudden change from emotion to emotion. "He does that sometimes, he sleepwalks, and even talks. It's usually funny, because you can carry on a conversation with him, and he's still asleep." She met his eyes, and sighed heavily. "But still…we can't…what if anyone else wakes up…and…You're a bad influence."

He laughed slightly, leaning to his left side, and falling down the inch or two to rest beside her, his cursed hand tugging up her shirt, and then sliding his fingers over the smooth skin. "I try." Kagome yawned in response; eyes drifting closed a bit. "I'm sorry." He murmured after a moment, studying her. And it was the truth. He was sorry, sorry for acting like a…jerk, as she had so aptly called him. "I was…"

Kagome yawned again, and shifted closer to him, not minding the hand that was stroking her stomach. "You were right, though…I'm stupid sometimes." Miroku moved beside her, propping himself up on his elbow so that he could look down on her.

"Only sometimes?" A grunt of pain followed. "That was _mean_, Kagome."

"I try."

"I believe it." They lay in comfortable silence for a moment longer, before he spoke again. "Your mother was watching the news earlier, and I noticed that you are warring with another lord…how do you go about that?"

Her eyes opened slightly, a small smile curving her lips. "He's not a lord, per se, but…oh never mind. But we have all sorts of things… We have guns, and missiles and tanks, and…. Lots of things…"

"I've heard of these guns, before…Do people in this age carry them around with them often? Like a samurai and his sword?"

It took her a moment to answer; she was falling asleep quickly. "N…no…" She yawned once more, and he grinned in the darkness. "It's…_unlegal_ to do that." She moved closer to him, and smiled tiredly. "'Night." A kiss on the tip of her nose, and he bid her goodnight as well. She fell asleep quickly, tired out from everything that had happened so far. Miroku on the other hand, stayed awake a little while longer, watching the girl sleep, and wondering what in the hell he had gotten himself in to.

Kagome awoke slowly, savoring the warmth that seemed to blanket her. Miroku was still asleep, curled around her own small body, an arm around her waist, and a leg trapped between hers. Oh yes, she could get use to something like this. Her eyes flew open at the thought- she **was** getting use to this. The houshi behind her mumbled something that sounded like; "It's _unlegal_, though." and she grinned.

The priest woke up a few minutes later, pulling her closer, and pressing a kiss to her neck. "Good morning, Kagome." He murmured softly, nuzzling her gently. "Sleep well?"

"Yes…" She closed her eyes again. "Very well."

Kagome ran the sponge over the plate, scrubbing slightly, before running it under the water. She didn't hear Miroku come up behind her, but she did feel it when he laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I finished helping your grandfather with the shrine cleaning. Souta kept giving me odd looks." There was no mistaking the perverted lilt to his voice, and she rolled her eyes.

"Riight." Reaching in to get a piece of silverware she wasn't careful enough and paid for it. She let out a soft gasp of pain when her finger was cut on a knife, and she jerked her hand out of the hot soapy water. "Oh ow!" Kagome rinsed it off hurriedly, and popped it in her mouth, sucking gently. Miroku turned her around, concern flitting over his face. "Sorry, I just cut myself." She said, popping her finger back out of her mouth, and watching as the blood oozed slowly from the centimeter long cut on her index finger. "Jeeze, stupid knives." She flashed a smile to him, and shrugged. "I'd better go and get a bandage."

He followed silently as she trotted up the stairs, and then went in to the bathroom. He trailed after at a slower pace, and by the time that he had gotten in to the bathroom she was already standing on her tiptoes reaching for the Aid-Bands. Stepping behind her, he reached up and plucked them easily from the high shelf. Taking out a medium sized one from the box, he unwrapped it without much trouble, and she held her finger out, a light blush covering her cheeks. "Thanks…"

"You're welcome." That grin she had come to love and hate curved the lips she had come to love. "Can we…perhaps play doctor later?"

She hit him.

**Group Info: This Round Robin competition is sponsored by the members of the MonkandMiko Yahoo! Group. A fanlisting of the Inuyasha pairing of Miroku/Kagome. The group features fanfiction, fanart, links, chat, contests, and social interaction with other Miroku/Kagome fans. To join: monkandmiko-subscribeyahoogroups.com or go to http:groups.yahoo. com/group /monkandmiko (you have to delete the spaces)**

Next Author: Juju

Due Date: June 27, 2004


	17. Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones, bu...

**General Info: **Round Robin #1 for the MonkandMiko Yahoo! Group.

**Title: **Bed Ridden

**Summary: **He's lived through a cursed hand, demons, and a hanyou with an attitude- but can our sixteenth century Houshi live through the stimulation of the twentieth century? [MK]

**Rating: **PG-13

**Chapter Author: **Juju

**Chapter Summary: **Kagome enjoys a little "alone time" with our favorite houshi….

**Disclaimer: **Roses are a number of colors, violets are...um...violet. But I don't own Inuyasha, so don't sue me!

* * *

****

**Chapter 17: Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones, but Whips and Chains…**

****

Miroku stood in the bathroom next to Kagome, rather dazed from her sudden act of violence. Slowly but surely, he came back down to Earth, the familiar lecherous grin he so often wore painted on his face. He stared at her for a moment, before opening his mouth. The words were out before he could stop them:

"Ooh! Do that again!"

Kagome's mouth opened and closed, which made him think of several things, each one increasingly perverted. Then, unexpectedly, she lunged at him and pinned him against the wall, slapping his shoulders madly.

"You...you! Pervert...agh!"

Her words were cut short by a pair of warm lips firmly attacking her own. A bead-covered hand slid sneakily down to her waist, drawing her closer. Unconsciously, she melted against her 'cousin' and kissed back rather forcefully. Snapping back to reality, she grabbed the closest object to her, which happened to be the belt from her mother's bathrobe, and began mercilessly beating Miroku with it.

"Bad...boy! Very bad!" Kagome hissed angrily at him. "Mom's in the kitchen...oh gods...not another premarital sex discussion...'' She mumbled incoherently, ignoring the spaced-out look that had appeared in the monk's eyes.

Kagome...black leather...whips...chained to a bed... Miroku unconsciously began to drool, staring at a spot somewhere just past Kagome's left breast.

"Miroku...I'm up here." A very pissed off Kagome pointed to her face with her left hand and slapped him on the side of the head with her right. Without another word, she threw the belt to the floor and stormed off to her room, leaving a rather confused Miroku slumped against the bathroom wall.

/

Later that evening, after the family had finished eating, Kagome retreated once again to her room. She started out her window, idly flipping through her arithmetic book and thinking about what had happened earlier that day. It wasn't that she didn't like what he did, it was just that...

A sharp knock on the door jarred her from her thoughts. Assuming that it was her mother with fresh laundry, she shouted, "Come in!"

Her eyes widened dangerously as Miroku sauntered in, slowly shut the door behind him, and strode over to her. Plopping himself onto her desk a mere three or so inches away from her, he stared intently into her eyes.

"So."

He reached down and pulled her up into his lap, her knees conveniently landing on either side of his. Once again, his lips descended and claimed her own in a heated kiss. When it finally ended, leaving both of them gasping for air and sanity, Kagome stood up and locked her door before returning to the monk's lap. Reaching up, she pinned his wrists back and, much to his surprise, kissed him.

Hard.

The last coherent thought in her mind before she allowed herself to be caught up in the moment was:

'Oh, god, this is like something from a bad romance novel. ...But, I love it..."

* * *

****

**Group Info: **This Round Robin competition is sponsoredby the members of the MonkandMiko Yahoo! Group, a fanlisting of the Inuyasha pairing of Miroku/Kagome. The group features fanfiction, fanart, links, chat, contests, and social interaction with other Miroku/Kagome fans. To join: **monkandmiko****-subscribe yahoo groups.com** or go to: **htpp****:/****/ groups. yahoo. com/ group/ monkandmiko**

**Next Author: **Chiisai-tori

**Due Date: **June 27, 2004


	18. The Art of Self Control

**General Info: **Round Robin #1 for the MonkandMiko Yahoo! Group.

**Title: **Bed Ridden

**Summary: **He's lived through a cursed hand, demons, and a hanyou with an attitude- but can our sixteenth century houshi live through the stimulations of the twentieth century?

**Rating: **PG-13

**Chapter Author: **Chiisai-tori

**Chapter Summary: **In which Miroku discovers chivalry, and the couple find out that they have a lot of explaining to do.

**Disclaimer: **I in no part own Inuyasha – not his hair, his ears, or anything else for that matter! So back off glares threateningly…

* * *

****

**Chapter 18: The Art of Self Control**

Miroku was in a rather intriguing dilemma. On the one hand, he wasthoroughly enjoying himself. He finally had the object of his affections draped across his lap, sighing and wriggling in a most delightful manner. She had been holding him down - not altogether unpleasant, but awkward nonetheless - a few quick tugs had freed his hands to do what they did best(no guesses what that was!)

However, his mind (the annoyingly rational part that he tried to ignore whenever possible) was screaming, 'Too fast! Danger! Slow down, you idiot!' Kagome had recently shown a surprisingly devious and downright sneaky side to her, but he was nearly one hundred percent sure that she was NOT ready for what she was unwittingly inviting. Reluctantly he dragged his lips away from hers and tightened his hold on her, keeping her still. "Kagome, stop."

"Hnh?" she mumbled rather dazedly, automatically trying to continue the kiss she had been enjoying just moments earlier. For a few blissful moments, Miroku gave in and let her. After all, he was the one who had come in and started this! He drifted happily in his mind - until Kagome started fumbling with the front of his robes. That jerked him back into cold reality with a sharp lurch. Miroku grabbed her wrists and held her away from him. She frowned cutely, pouting. 'Oh gods, don't do that!' he moaned to himself, his resolve wavering somewhat. But outwardly he put on a stern expression. "Now, Kagome," he began steadily.

"Hmm?" she hummed breathily.

Smirk.

"You've been a very bad girl. I think I'm going to have to punish you," he leered at her.

Much to his amusement, she blushed furiously. "You are not going to hit me!"

The monk grinned, unrepentant. "You hit me," he pointed out helpfully.

She spluttered at him. "That's -"

"Now, what should your punishment be?" he asked rhetorically, one finger resting on his chin in a thoughtful pose. "I don't hit women," he remarked pointedly, "so that's out." He was silent for a moment. "A ha! I have the perfect one." Incidentally, it would solve his dilemma too.

"And?" Kagome prompted, a tad nervous.

"Your punishment," Miroku murmured, leaning ever closer.

She inhaled shakily. "Yes?"

"…will…be…" His face was now right in front of hers in  
a now-familiar position. One called Prelude to a Kiss'.

"Uhn?" she breathed softly, her eyes beginning to slide  
closed. Suddenly Miroku picked her up, set her safely on the floor and calmly walked out of the room. She gaped at his retreating back in utter disbelief. "Ooh…you…you!" She stormed over and kicked her door closed with a slam.

A tousled black head poked out from one of the rooms. "What's all the noise?" Souta asked sleepily.

"Er…it's nothing." Both boys flinched when a sound remarkably like a chair being thrown across the room came through the door.

"Nothing. Right." Souta was clearly sceptical. Miroku couldn't really blame him. Er…it's nothing.' Couldn't get much lamer than that. But at least disaster had been averted.

For now.

* * *

He didn't think his already pitiful self control could stand up to another assault like that one. Needing very much to cool off, but not fancying yet another cold shower, Miroku found himself wandering outside. He strolled along, hands shoved deep in his pockets. Off to the side he could see the well house, and in it the Bone Eater's Well. For a moment he pondered – what had it looked like when Kagome brought him through? A young man, dressed in what he now knew were extremely unusual clothes for this time, covered in his own blood, being dragged by a girl smaller than him. It must have made a most unusual sight.

He was just glad that he hadn't had to see it himself.

Then his mind took a rather unwelcome turn. He tried to imagine Inuyasha coming through the well, meeting Kagome, talking to her family…doing what he had been doing all this time during his recovery. A hot flash of jealousy shot through him. It was bad enough that the arrogant, egotistical hanyou claimed the bulk of Kagome's time and attention…but to now know that Inuyasha had been enjoying the hospitality of Kagome's family for such a Long time…he could feel his blood boiling. In a few short weeks he would lose all this. He would be recovered, the stitches would come out…and he would go back.

Back. Not go home'. Go back.

A slight movement from the direction of the well house caught his eye, but just as he was going to go over and investigate, a furious yell had him spinning around on the spot.

"Miroku! How dare you, you over-confident, self-obsessed, pompous idiot!" Well. Kagome was obviously not very happy. Hmm.

"Ah, Kagome. Do I detect a note of," he smiled suddenly, "frustration, by any chance?" He watched as she strode angrily over to where he stood, admiring the way her eyes were flashing in rage.

"By the gods, Miroku-sama, if you don't finish what you started, I'll-"

She was cut off by the sensation of his lips crashing down on hers, two arms wrapping tightly around her waist. Well… someone's self control just snapped…' Kagome sighed into his mouth contentedly, drinking in the feel of his warm body pressing against her. All at once, a low growl sounded. Miroku found himself torn away, landing a good distance from Kagome – who was standing stock still, not daring to move a muscle. Enraged golden eyes bore into her, looking away only to glare at the fallen monk.

Miroku's eyes crossed as they tried to focus on the very pointy sword that was thrust in his face. "You, monk, had better have a DAMN good explanation!" The said monk looked over to Kagome, and his heart fell at the look of guilt that was on her face. She felt guilty over what they had done, he was sure. Guilty that she had let Inuyasha see.

Her frantic next words left him even more disheartened. "Inuyasha, it's not what you think!"

In that moment Miroku decided that dogs were ultimately more trouble than they were worth. He didn't like them. Yes, he preferred cats. Cats didn't ambush you in the middle of…well, that, and they didn't run around brandishing lethal weapons in people's faces. And they didn't steal your lover, either.

No, he didn't like dogs at all.

* * *

**Next Author: **Mrs. Videl Son

**Due Date: **July 3, 2004 (May be extended because of upcoming holiday…)

**Group Info: **This Round Robin is sponsored by the members of the MonkandMiko Yahoo! Group, a fanlisting of the Inuyasha pairing of Miroku/Kagome. The group features fan fiction, fan art, links, chat, contests, and social interaction with other Miroku/Kagome fans. To join go here: **h t t p: groups. yahoo. com/ group/ ****monkandmiko** (remove the spaces, had to put them there for it to show up on FF.N) What's better than one alternative InuYasha coupling? Two alternative InuYasha couplings! MonknadMiko is now the affiliate of Kakera-no-Ai, an InuYasha/Sango fanlisting. Similar to MnM, you'll find fan fiction, pictures, group discussions, polls, chat, etc. to keep you occupied! To join: **h**** t t p: groups. yahoo. com/ group/ KnA/ **(Again the spaces)

**Group Notes: **MonkandMiko is currently sponsoring their second fanfiction contest. Contest Challenge: Write a one-shot depicting Miroku and/or Kagome's worst nightmare. (Must contain an MK twist) The contest runs from July 5th until August 5th. This competition is open to all entrants, non MonkandMiko Members included. For more details and rules, go to the MonkandMiko Yahoo! group page (rules and details are listed in the files section under Contest Two) (listed above) We hope for a wonderful turn out and all are invited to take part in the competition.


	19. Things Fall Apart

**General Info: **Round Robin #1 for the MonkandMiko Yahoo! Group. 

**Title: **Bed Ridden 

**Summary: **He's lived through a cursed hand, demons, and a hanyou with an attitude- but can our sixteenth century houshi take the stimulation of the twentieth century? [MK] 

**Rating: **PG-13 

**Chapter Author: **Mrs. Videl Son 

**Chapter Summary: **All's fair in love and war. 

**Disclaimer: **Maybe if I stretch my eyes out far enough, and loose about a foot of height, I'd bear some sort of resemblance to RT...but I doubt it. (I don't really tan well, anyway) 

**Group Notes: **MonkandMiko is currently sponsoring a new fanfiction competition. The contest challenge: **Write a one-shot depicting Miroku and/or Kagome's ****worst nightmare. (Must contain an MK twist)** All are invited to take part in this contest, for rules and guidelines go to MonkandMiko Yahoo! Group. (It's under the files section in the Contest 2 file)The contest will begin July 5th, and run through August 5th. 

* * *

******Chapter 19: Things Fall Apart**

It's amazing the kind of things a person will remember over the years, store in the back of their minds for some sort of later use. Old grocery lists, how to ride a bike (and other things of the like), random bits of trivia only useful during the nightly episode of Jeopardy...little things like that. But, the more amazing thing to Miroku at the moment, was how a person could simply forget other things...like the fact that he had been fooling around with a temperamental half-demon's would-be lover. And all the things that said temperamental half-demon would do to him when he found out...

  
  
"You...bastard!" the enraged half-demon (soon to be full-demon) snarled, repeating it over and over again as his mantra. "You...BASTARD!" Every time he said it again, his claws would dig imperceptibly deeper into the felled monks skin, drawing forth tiny pinpricks of blood that trickled into a small pool beneath them. InuYasha sat perched atop Miroku's chest, slowly squeezing the life out of him, while Kagome vainly tried to pull them apart from somewhere in the distance. The thick haze that set in around Miroku's mind blocked out all else but InuYasha's amber eyes, lit aflame by his raging adrenaline, and his low, gravely mantra that cursed his name to the depths of all seven hells.

  
  
"It's not..." Miroku gasped weakly, the last vestige of self defense. "What it looks like."

  
  
"Oh no?" InuYasha growled, lowering his snarling face closer to the monks. "Then what is it?"

  
  
Well, that was a GOOD question.

  
  
"A...a mistake." Miroku gasped as his cowardice and self preservation prevented him from telling his adversary the truth.

  
  
That, obviously, was the wrong answer as the hanyou's claws sank below the superficial level of skin and into the muscle of his neck. Miroku gurgled and blood slowly trickled down his chin to congeal in the small puddle of previously congregated blood.

  
  
Kagome's cries ceased, no longer pitifully pleading for his life in the background, and he was left alone to listen to InuYasha's growls and the sounds of his own body failing him. It only occurred to him then that Kagome could hear what he said.

  
  
"Ka...Kagome...I didn't – " he tried to explain, but InuYasha cut him off with his hands. Kagome suddenly appeared over InuYasha's shoulder, floating into view like some otherworldly apparition coming to welcome him to death. Her eyes were heavily lidded, shoulders slumped and arms slack at her side as she watched him slowly die beneath the heavy hanyou's ministrations. Miroku opened his eyes, darkened to a deep indigo as preliminary death veiled them, and silently pleaded with her not to hate him in the afterlife. His lips attempted to form words but, again, InuYasha would not let him say his peace and locked them away in his chest where they belonged. Miroku would have the last words, even if no one but Kagome would ever hear them...

* * *

  
  
****  
Kagome had hoped that she would never again have to spend another day in this place with Miroku for as long as she happened to live. Apparently, Kami-sama had other plans, however, so here she sat, by his bedside, in a chair that just HAD to have been furnished with burlap. Machines whirred and beeped around them as the sixteenth century monk slept in a drug-induced trance in the bed. He was bandaged around the neck from where InuYasha had attempted to strangle him and had angry purple bruises on both eyes, his arms and most any other place on his body she could easily see (and probably on places she couldn't). Not only that, but his stitches had come out of his abdominal wound caused by Naraku's puppet, forcing it wide open and as raw as the day he was first admitted to the hospital.

  
  
Since Kagome was "family" (this time labeled as his fiancée so that he wouldn't bring home any more stray nurses) she was allowed to stay with him through the night, even though the doctors and nurses discouraged it. He had been admitted for the second time in two months at around six the previous night and here she still sat at six the next morning, drearily watching his IV drip and waiting for him to come around. Her mother, too, had tried to convince her to come home for some sleep, but Kagome doubted whether she would have been able to sleep anyway. Everyone had finally relented and left her to her own devices in the company of their unconscious houseguest, stewing in her own misery.

  
  
Mistake? I'm a...mistake?

  
  
The same question ran over and over in her mind, battered and beaten worse than Miroku as she tried to answer. Was it really not what it seemed? Was she just another notch in his proverbial bedpost? Was the last month and a half nothing to him? How many times had they almost...almost done it?'

  
  
After he had said it, Kagome had dropped into a sort of shock- induced trance. She watched as Miroku writhed pitifully in the enraged half-demons iron-clad grasp. He suddenly stilled when she walked closer, in full view of his startled eyes. He tried to stammer pathetic apologies but, thankfully, InuYasha had cut them short (though she still couldn't say she approved of his methods). He seemed to search her face for pity and forgiveness, but his face fell when he found neither. Kagome was startled to see tears appear in his eyes as his mouth worked wordlessly, attempting to reach her with his silent pleas...

  
  
All Kagome got from his silent lips before the monk blacked out was I.' He must have been trying to apologize again...

  
  
Thankfully, alerted by the ruckus, Grandpa had rushed to Miroku's defense, ofuda spell in hand. With a little practice, and loads of help from Miroku, Grandpa had finally managed to procure somewhat useful ofuda for warding off demons – sort of.

  
  
His spell had burned InuYasha just enough to throw him off Miroku and make him yelp in surprise. He'd stomped, raged and cursed but was finally sent away by Grandpa (and a couple parting sits from Kagome). He skulked away toward the well, ears plastered to his head like a scolded puppy, and disappeared for the time being. He did vow to return and rip Miroku a new hell hole (that would be nowhere near his hands) once the imminent danger had passed. In all his excitement over the entire fiasco, he hadn't seemed to notice how much he was actually harming the monk...

  
  
Risa then called the paramedic's and he was rushed to the hospital, in critical condition. When asked about what had happened, Risa fed them some story about simply finding him that way...the police promised to catch up with Kagome later. (Gulp)

  
  
Kagome wiped away another frustrated tear. She wouldn't cry, she wouldn't. Sitting here in a hospital room crying over her imaginary relationship with the commitment-phobic monk was just pathetic. Besides, every time she got started up, a nurse would walk in and want to "talk," something she just wasn't feeling up to at the present. Though she figured she'd need a good psycho analyst after all this was said and done...the only trick was finding one that wouldn't immediately have her committed when she told him about her little "romps" in the feudal age.

  
  
She glanced over at the sleeping man on the bed, his chest rising and falling steadily in deep REM sleep, and felt the overwhelming need to cry again. She sighed helplessly and stood. She might as well go down to the vending machine and get something to drink while she waited...  
  


****

* * *

  


  
Kagome yawned loudly as she idly counted her spare change. Perhaps she'd take a little nap at Miroku's bedside if the caffeine she was about to ingest didn't work. She counted out the appropriate amount and dropped it into the coin slot, pressed a button and waited for her conveniant, twentieth century dose of caffeine to pop out.

  
  
"Kagome-chan!"

  
  
Kagome started at the call of her name and turned around, numbly registering the loud THUNK of her soda's arrival in the vending machine dispenser. Yuka, Eri and Ayame stood together down the hall holding flowers, balloons and even a giant teddy bear with "Get Well Soon!" printed on his purple t-shirt. Eri had her hand raised and poised ready to knock on Miroku's door.

  
  
Kagome blinked at them. "Hi...what are you doing here so early?" she asked, glancing down at her Mickey Mouse watch (Souta had gotten it for her for Christmas a year or so back, most likely hoping she would give it to him – just to show him up, she kept it.) – 6:30 AM.

  
  
"We...heard about Miroku." Yuka answered as they approached, gifts cradled carefully in their arms. "We were worried about you, him being your fiancé and all."

  
  
Eri nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we called your house this morning to see how you were doing – "

  
  
Yuka interjected "– because I heard somewhere that insomniac's don't sleep when it's dark out and we didn't want to call in the middle of the night – "

  
  
"– and your grandfather told us you'd be here." Ayame finished with her usual, airy smile.

  
  
Kagome flinched. So she had psychological diseases now...no more internet for Grandpa.

  
  
Kagome waved her hands dismissively. "Ah...he's fine. At least, the doctors say he will be. He should wake up sometime today."

  
  
All three girls let out a collective breath, obviously relieved to hear such good news. "So what happened to him?" Ayame asked. Kagome flinched again.

  
  
"Ah..." Kagome struggled. "He got in a fight."

  
  
"With who?" Eri asked, eyes lighting up in new interest.

  
  
"I'll bet it was her ex-boyfriend. You know, the violent jealous one." Yuka supplied, giving the teddy bear in Eri's arms a distrustful glare. "Remember how he used to get so jealous over all the guys in Kagome's life? It's a wonder that Houjou never got mixed up in it!"

  
  
A trickle of sweat dripped down the side of Kagome's face. Sometimes her friends were much too perceptive for Kagome's own good.

  
  
Having no better excuses (and feeling that she should lie as little as possible), Kagome agreed that was in fact the case. All three girls cooed in sympathy and cursed her "violent ex-boyfriend" for picking on a guy that was already injured.

  
  
They returned to Miroku's room, each with a soda, and put the presents by his bedside for him when he woke up. They stood there and watched him in silence for a few moments, taking in his injuries and quietly wishing the unknown ex to all seven rings of hell.

  
  
Once the girls got tired of watching Miroku sleep the day way, Ayame proudly brought forth a pack of cards and they settled around the small table in the corner of the hospital room and played Old Maid for the duration of the morning.

  
  
To Kagome, it was a return to relative normalcy...the kind of normalcy she hadn't had since her fifteenth birthday. They laughed, gossiped and ogled cute orderlies that passed in the hall. They had bought a huge pile of snacks from the vending machine and snacked idly on these while they played, laughing at the ravenous Kagome, who had missed dinner the previous night due to the sudden rush to the hospital. Yuka and Eri eventually forced the entire story (well, not the ENTIRE story) out of Kagome about Miroku's injuries – his denouncement of Kagome and all.

  
  
"Jerk," Eri hissed, sending the still unconscious Miroku a withering glare. His machines beeped back at her.

  
  
Kagome agreed glumly, propping her chin up on her palm as she stared at her cards pointedly.

  
  
Eri patted her comfortingly on the back. "I wouldn't worry about it too much. People will say the weirdest things when their lives are on the line." she nodded sagely. "I saw this episode of Dawson's Creek once – "

  
  
" – so don't worry about it, Kagome." Ayame interjected pointedly. "Besides, there are plenty of other things you need to get sorted out before you get married. Like, where you're going to live, for example."

  
  
Yes, where indeed...?

  
  
Ayame continued on, draping an arm over Kagome's shoulders in a maternal fashion. "What I'm trying to say is, you both have a lot of growing up to do. It'll be a while until you tie the knot so maybe you can work it out by then. See a specialist or something. He might have an underlying fear of commitment..."

  
  
Miroku? Afraid of commitment? Never...

  
  
Eri rolled her eyes. "What are you, her psychiatrist?" she sneered sarcastically. Ayame sniffed disdainfully.

  
  
"I'm just trying to help." she bit angrily.

  
  
"Well, knock it off. You're confusing the poor girl to death!" Eri argued.

  
  
"Oh, like you know any better." Ayame hissed, letting go of Kagome so that she could properly glare across the table at Eri. "You, who couldn't keep a boyfriend for longer than – "

  
  
Eri stood up to face Ayame, matching her glare for glare. "As opposed to you, who's NEVER had one?" she sneered spitefully, a smirk of triumph splitting her face as Ayame turned red.

  
  
"Oi!" Kagome interjected, finally heard over the bickering. "Don't worry about it, Eri-chan. I know what Ayame-chan was trying to say. Thank you both for caring about me so much." she offered them a weak, watery smile.

  
  
Yuka, who was slumped down in her seat watching the half-dead monk snore lightly on the bed, said "Well, you'd better hurry up and figure it out before he falls apart – literally."

  
  
Kagome followed her gaze and frowned. "Tell me about it." she  
sighed. 

* * *

******Next Author: **Horridporrid 

**Due Date: **July 6th, 2004 

**Group Info: **This Round Robin is sponsored by the members of MonkandMiko Yahoo! group, a fan listing of the InuYasha pairing of Miroku/Kagome. The group features fan fiction, fan art, links, chat, contests, and social interaction with other Miroku/Kagome fans. To join: **h t t p: groups. yahoo. com/ group/ monkandmiko **(Remove spaces) 

What's better than one alternative InuYasha pairing? Two alternative InuYasha couplings! MonkandMiko is now the affiliate of Kakera-no-Ai, an InuYasha/Sango fanlisting. Similar to MnM, you'll find fan fiction, pictures, group discussions, polls, chat, etc. to keep you occupied! To join: **h t t p: groups. yahoo. com/ group/ KnA******


	20. Innocence is Drowned

**General Info: **Round Robin #1 for the MonkandMiko Yahoo! group.

**Title: **Bed Ridden

**Summary: **He's lived through a cursed hand, demons, and a hanyou with an attitude- but can our sixteenth century houshi take the stimulation of the twentieth century? [MK]

**Rating: **PG-13

**Chapter Author: **Horridporrid

**Chapter Summary: **The blood-dimmed tide is loosed…

**Disclaimer: **hee!

**Author Note**: So I went a little dark. You like dark, right? Right? (twenty billion points if you recognize the poem hidden in the title and the summery. Hint: throw in M-mama's title from chp.19)

**Group Notes: **MonkandMiko is currently sponsoring a new fanfiction competition. The contest challenge: **Write a one-shot depicting Miroku and/or Kagome's**** worst nightmare. (Must contain an MK twist)** All are invited to take part in this contest, for rules and guidelines go to MonkandMiko Yahoo! Group. (It's under the files section in the Contest 2 file)The contest will begin July 5th, and run through August 5th. **h**** t t p: groups. yahoo. com/ group/ monkandmiko******

**Chapter Twenty: Innocence is Drowned**

Miroku woke up. He didn't open his eyes though. He was battling a strong suspicion that he was in fact dead and really wasn't looking forward to confirmation. Then the light buzz of female voices teased at his senses, and there were some things he was genetically incapable of ignoring. Slowly, reluctantly, he opened his eyes, and blearily noted the small group of pretty girls seated across the room. Could he have actually achieved paradise?

Then his eyes focused and his intuition caught up with him: virgins, all of them. So he was in Hell. Nothing worse than a flock of virgins to torture and break a man, Miroku thought ruefully. He laughed to himself and the gentle huffing sound caught the attention of the girls.

"Oh, Miroku! You're awake."

And he knew that voice. After all, it haunted all of his dreams and some of his more horrifying nightmares. Still alive then. Things were steadily going from bad to worse. As his bed was surrounded by Kagome and her friends, Miroku weighed the possibility of pretending to slip back into sleep.

"Are you thirsty?" The gentle query and the concern in Kagome's voice pushed Miroku's conscience into abandoning the fake passing-out idea. Plus, he was really thirsty now that she mentioned it. He tried to say as much but his voice came out in a pitiful croak and the attempt sent a burning pain lancing through his throat, so he settled for a nod.

Kagome held a cup for him so he could suck some liquid up through the handy sipping straw he remembered from his last hospital stay. As he drank he avoided looking at her. It was cowardly, and he knew it, but damned if he was up for the emotional turmoil direct eye contact would bring.

"Gosh, Miroku you really look like hell," one of Kagome's friends piped up. Her remark earned her several glares and an impatient hushing noise from one of the other girls, but if he could, Miroku would have kissed her for breaking the tension that had begun to build. Instead he grinned as impishly as possible at her and gave an exaggerated shrug as a "what can you do?" sort of gesture. She grinned back, so he figured that was one on his side.

"The police have been here," the girl who'd made the hushing sound, told him briskly. "Though, honestly, Kagome was less than helpful with her information about her old boyfriend." As Miroku's mind reeled at this sudden turn of events, the hushing girl focused on Kagome. "How you could date someone you knew so little about I will never understand," she lectured as Kagome turned an impossibly bright shade of red. "I'm just glad that you've moved on to someone more trustworthy and stable." She patted Miroku's hand as Kagome turned suddenly away from the bed, nearly causing Miroku to spit water all over his bed as she ripped the straw out of his mouth. But that was two on his side now, so he overlooked the rough behavior.

"Trustworthy?" the last girl asked incredulously. "Didn't he tell that Inuyasha creep that he'd made a mistake with Kagome?" She glared down at Miroku as Kagome made a strange choking sound behind her.

Miroku met the girl's glare with a look of wide-eyed innocence. "Ss-ss-urvi-val," he croaked out painfully, and her eyes softened noticeably.

"I guess I can understand that," she said thoughtfully. "And you didn't mean it at all? You're still serious about our Kagome?"

Miroku nodded, keeping his innocent face firmly in place and her suspicion slipped away.

"Well, I guess that's points for smarts anyway, even if bravery is sorely lacking."

"Bravery!?" said the grinning girl indignantly.

"Really, Yuka, this isn't a manga! And Inuyasha is a psycho. Miroku is lucky to be alive!" the hushing girl said reprovingly.

"Geez, guys, I was just joking." Yuka looked suitably chastened and she patted Miroku's shoulder in apology.

So that was three out of three. Kagome had to be folding. Though she refused to look at him as her friends wished Miroku well and hugged Kagome goodbye and finally chattered their way out of the hospital room. Then she lingered in the corner, fussing with his water cup, and Miroku decided it was time to prove that he wasn't a complete coward. "Ka-kag" he managed to choke out pitifully, and she was there holding his hand and brushing her hand through his hair.

"Shhh. Please don't talk Miroku," she said soothingly. But as he tried to meet her eyes, she turned her attention to smoothing out his blanket. "The doctors say your throat will be sore for a few more days, and your stitches were torn out, so they had to replace those, but there weren't any further internal injuries, and that's good." She chanced a quick glance at him and then just as quickly, her gaze flickered away. "Um, the drugs knocked you out for a really long time, and you'll have to stay overnight, and they didn't say it but I was afraid you may have slipped into a coma and..." Tears filled her eyes and she took a deep breath. "And I was so scared that you might slip away from me." The tears overflowed and slid steadily down her face. "I was so scared, Miroku." Her voice broke and she took another breath.

Miroku brushed his hand across her cheek, gathering her tears on his fingertips. He wished he could speak, come up with some strengthening phrase that would soothe Kagome and end her pain.

Kagome grabbed his hand with hers and squeezed it with surprising strength. "Did you mean it? What you asked me. Did you mean it?"

This time Miroku was the one avoiding eye contact. She was referring to his marriage proposal. He knew that. The thing was, had he meant it? Or more accurately, what had he meant by it? It was more than a riff off of his usual, 'please bare my child,' line. He knew that much. And he hated, with every fiber of his being, the idea of Kagome being with any other man. But was he willing to burden her with his curse? Was he really so selfish as to tie her to him when the only thing he could offer her was an early widowhood?

He looked over at Kagome and realized that she was staring at his other hand, the cursed hand, the hand that foretold his inevitable doom. His thumb was worrying his rosary so insistently he was surprised he hadn't broken it. And he was angry. Actually, Miroku was furious. If Naraku had somehow popped into the room Miroku could have killed him with his glare. Naraku had stolen his father from him. He'd stolen his childhood from him. He'd stolen his future from him. Was he going to steal love from him too? Was Naraku going to take everything?

With a sense of determination he gripped Kagome's hand with his normal hand. When she turned to him, he met her eyes and nodded emphatically, pouring all of his love into his eyes, and hoping with everything he had that she would get the message.

Kagome's eyes widened and she gripped his hand back. "Miroku," she breathed. And he was just starting to relax when she started crying again. "God, I'm so confused!" she wailed. "I'm too young for this! And then there's Inuyasha..."

Miroku closed his eyes in defeat. It always came back to the half-demon. He was crazy to think he'd ever break Kagome away from Inuyasha.

"But," Kagome added softly. "I've never... I don't dream about him like I dream about you. And when you touch me," she blushed and bit her lip uncertainly. "You make me feel so alive, Miroku. Is – is that love? Miroku, do I love you?"

She looked at him with such trust, and Miroku couldn't help but smile at her. Only Kagome could ask such a question, and cause his heart to swell with such tenderness. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and sing her to sleep. And with that thought he suddenly realized how exhausted she looked. The silly girl must have stayed with him all night. No wonder she was so confused. "Ssle-ep, Kag-me," he croaked, and singing was obviously out of the question.

Kagome tried to frown at him, but she ruined it with a gigantic yawn. "Okay, okay," she muttered. "But you stop trying to talk," she added with sleepy fierceness.

And then it was his turn to frown at her when Kagome headed towards an uncomfortable looking chair by the window. He tapped the side of his bed to get her attention and then pointed at the door and gave her a stern look.

"Don't worry, I can sleep here," Kagome said.

But Miroku shook his head and kept pointing at the door. "Go home," he mouthed at her, and Kagome's shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Okay, okay. I could probably use a shower anyway," she said in resignation, and Miroku grinned. Kagome shook her head in apparent disgust at his bossiness, but then ruined it by kissing him gently on the cheek. "I'll be back first thing in the morning, and then we'll bring you home," she whispered. And that really did sound like paradise.

* * *

Inuyasha leapt out of the well and cautiously made his way to Kagome's house. He wasn't ashamed of what he'd done to Miroku. The monk had gotten what was coming to him. No, Inuyasha wasn't ashamed. He just wanted to avoid Kagome's family because they were annoying. That's why he was sneaking up to the house. Inuyasha didn't feel guilty at all.

Peering in through a window, Inuyasha could see Kagome's brother and grandfather gathered around a table, the remnants of a light meal in front of them. Her mother was speaking into that strange talking thing that Kagome had tried to explain the use of but that he still wasn't too clear on. Who the hell cared how people did things in this strange, chaotic world?

"Oh, Kagome that wonderful," her mother was saying. She turned towards the rest of the family. "Miroku's awake," she said excitedly.

Inuyasha had the strange feeling of a burden being lifted that he refused to examine too closely. The boy and the old man made pleased sounds and he missed some of what Kagome's mother was saying. By the time they shut up the one sided conversation was winding down.

"Okay, darling. I've set some lunch aside for you." Silence, and then, "See you soon." Kagome's mother put the talking thing back on the wall and headed for the window and only Inuyasha's superior demon speed kept him from being caught.

Inuyasha slunk back to the well house. He was glad to hear that Miroku wasn't dead, though he'd only gotten what he deserved. Everyone knew that Kagome belonged to Inuyasha. The half-demon settled down just inside the door, where he could keep an eye on the shrine steps. Kagome had promised to stay by his side, and she had kept her promise until the damn monk had turned his cheap charms on her. He huffed angrily. The monk was an unrepentant lecher, and Inuyasha shouldn't have been surprised. But Inuyasha had counted Miroku as one of his friends. Stupid of him. And his misjudgment had nearly cost him Kagome. Well, that was going to change; he had an ally now, and a plan.

He'd been angry and hurt when he'd been pushed back through the well yesterday, ready to slink off into the forest to lick his wounds and shore up his injured pride. He might have sulked for days. It was his good fortune that Kikyou had been there, waiting for him. With little effort she had pulled the whole sordid tale from him.

"He could make her happy," she had murmured, much to Inuyasha's disgust. But when he'd opened his mouth to protest, she'd silenced him with a gesture. "You cannot allow the monk to have her, Inuyasha."

"I should kill him," Inuyasha agreed, though his human heart shrank from that idea.

"Don't be a fool. He is necessary for the upcoming battle –,"

"I can handle Naraku!" Inuyasha interrupted. Kikyou looked at him and he retreated back into silence.

When he was suitably chastened Kikyou continued. "She needs to be reminded of her place." He must have looked confused, because she clarified for him. "She needs to be reminded that she belongs to you, Inuyasha."

"But, Kikyou," Inuyasha said weakly, "I promised myself to you. How –,"

Kikyou had cut him off by gently cupping his cheek in her palm. "My poor, sweet, Inuyasha. Is it still so unclear to you? You belong to me, and she belongs to you."

Inuyasha leaned into Kikyou's touch even as his eyes widened at her words. "You mean, I can have you both?"

Kikyou had laughed, a sound that weighed down his heart with its sadness. "You can have her. But remember, I alone have you."

It didn't make sense to him, but Kikyou pressed close to him, and her scent washed over him until he was drowning in it and all of his questions and doubts slipped away. "Listen to me, my little half-demon. Act as I direct you and you will win her back from the monk."

She had whispered into his ear until the setting of the slivered moon, and then she'd pulled his head down to her lap, and he had slept, surrounded by her scent as her hands smoothed over him, chasing away the dreams that came to haunt him.

And now, Inuyasha crouched in the well house and ran through Kikyou's directions. He shifted uncomfortably, damn, but he wasn't sure he could do this. But with his doubts came a swirling memory, tangled up in Kikyou's touch and Kikyou's smell. "You are a hunter, Inuyasha, a predator; follow your instincts and give yourself over to the chase." The echo of her voice anchored him and Inuyasha settled into wait. Kagome was his. He would not allow the monk to have her.

Not a terribly long time passed and then Inuyasha caught Kagome's scent. She was coming up the shrine steps. Silently he straightened from his crouched position and cracked the well house door open a bit. Only a flash of red showed through the door, but it was enough. Kagome's eyes flickered in his direction, and he could see them widen in recognition. Without a thought the girl changed her direction and came to him.

Inuyasha backed into the darkness, not stopping until he was resting against the stone well. Kagome walked in with less surety then him, making her way carefully down the stairs, her eyesight not so good in the dark. "Inuyasha?" she called out cautiously. Then she gasped as he grabbed her arm and pulled her against him.

"Have you forgotten me?" he asked, allowing a hint of hurt to come through in his voice.

Kagome responded to his pain as Kikyou had expected her to. "Inuyasha, no. I'd never forget you. I–,"

"Have you forgotten your promise to me?" He brushed her cheek with one hand, and had to restrain a pleased smile when she trembled under his touch.

"Promise?"

Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a gentle embrace. "You promised not to leave me, Kagome. You promised to stay by my side." Inuyasha slumped a little, so that Kagome had to bear up some of his weight. "I – I don't want to be alone, Kagome." And he hated sounding so pathetic, but Kikyou had said it was important. And he could feel Kagome responding to it, just like she responded to him saying her name, and he was not going to let the fucking monk win this one.

"Oh, Inuyasha," Kagome sighed. "I'm not going to leave you alone. I do remember my promise. I do." She pushed against his shoulder, and Inuyasha allowed her to move a little bit away from him. This was not the time for force. "But I'm also really angry at you, Inuyasha. You almost killed Miroku."

Inuyasha stared down at the splintery, warped floorboards. He knew Kagome would take his posture as contrition, but he didn't want her to see the rage that had flared up at her saying that name. It was not the time for force, he reminded himself. His restraint was rewarded by Kagome pulling him back into her arms. "But he's going to be okay, and I'm really tired, so I'll just have to yell at you tomorrow." She yawned and snuggled a little further into his arms, like she always did when she was sleepy. Kagome felt safe with him, and part of Inuyasha hated to betray that trust. But it was out of his hands. Kagome was his and she obviously needed to be reminded of that fact.

He nuzzled his cheek against hers and felt her stiffen in surprise. "I won't let you go," he whispered into her ear, and she shivered. While she was distracted by his words he swiftly moved to press his mouth against hers. Her lips were soft and full and he licked at them and they fell open and then he was exploring the inside of her mouth with his tongue and she tasted different from Kikyou, sweet to Kikyou's spice. And Inuyasha shuddered at the thought of tasting the two of them together, and pulled Kagome more tightly against him, and she squeaked a little and started pushing at his shoulders, and at first he ignored her, but this was not the time for force. So reluctantly Inuyasha pulled away and stared into Kagome eyes as he touched his bottom lip with his tongue, catching the last of her flavor. And she looked shocked and confused and a little bit terrified.

Inuyasha smiled, and traced her swollen lips with the tip of one claw. "You belong to me, Kagome," he whispered huskily. "Don't forget that." Then he jumped easily up onto the well's edge, and with a final smile, stepped back into its welcoming depths.

**:::end chapter:::**

****

**Next Author: **Rurouni Star

**Due Date: **July 9th, 2004

**Group Info: **This Round Robin is sponsored by the members of MonkandMiko Yahoo! group, a fan listing of the InuYasha pairing of Miroku/Kagome. The group features fan fiction, fan art, links, chat, contests, and social interaction with other Miroku/Kagome fans. To join: **h t t p: groups. yahoo. com/ group/ monkandmiko **(Remove spaces) What's better than one alternative InuYasha pairing? Two alternative InuYasha couplings! MonkandMiko is now the affiliate of Kakera-no-Ai, an InuYasha/Sango fanlisting. Similar to MnM, you'll find fan fiction, pictures, group discussions, polls, chat, etc. to keep you occupied! To join: **h t t p: groups. yahoo. com/ group/ K n A******


	21. Chapter 21

**General Info: **Round Robin #1 fot the MonkandMiko Yahoo! group.

**Title: **Bed Ridden

**Summary: **He's lived through a cursed hand, demons, and a hanyou with an attitude- but can our sixteenth century houshi live through the stimulation of the twentieth century? [MK]

**Rating: **PG-13

**Chapter Author: **Rurouni Star

**Chapter Summary: **One dose of patented R.S. angst, coming right up. Because I can't seem to do it any other way.

**Disclaimer: **Oh, right. Um, I'm disclaiming! Look at me disclaim!

**Group Note: **MonkandMiko is currently sponsoring a new fanfiction competition. The contest challenge: **Write a one-shot depicting Miroku and/or Kagome's****worst nightmare. (Must contain an MK twist)** All are invited to take part in this contest, for rules and guidelines go to MonkandMiko Yahoo! Group. (It's under the files section in the Contest 2 file)The contest will begin July 5th, and run through August 5th.  **h**** t t p: groups. yahoo. com/ group/ monkandmiko******

**…………………**

**Chapter 21: **

Kagome watched in numb shock as Inuyasha disappeared down the well.

That… had not just happened. Could not have happened. Because Inuyasha was in love with Kikyo, and he'd mostly ignored her, until Miroku-A gasp escaped her as it hit. He wasn't in love with her – he was claiming her. The bastard!Suddenly she felt sick, used, and her mouth was dirty. Kagome ran from the well house blindly, but quickly focused on a destination. The bathroom – she had to wash her mouth out.After about ten minutes of flushing her mouth as much as she could– even using that disgusting mouthwash that Souta said was manly' –she began to feel a little better. But she knew she wouldn't feel completely normal again until she saw Miroku in the morning. And that was a very strange, very comforting thought.……Miroku was looking much better by the time they got there to pick him up (again). He was even able to distinctly talk with that awfully dry wit of his."I've heard of explosive kisses," he told Kagome in the backseat, "but I must admit I've never heard of one where you feel like you're being beat up."She winced, and he realized it just wasn't a good time for humor. So instead, he found himself looping an arm around her waist.Kagome had been stiff, but her muscles relaxed immediately at his touch. He knew if he hadn't been injured that she wouldn't have hesitated in leaning on him. A bit of pride swelled inside of him– at one time, she would have jumped away shrieking at any kind of  
contact from him. Now, she was all too willing…Before he could even comprehend what was happening, his hand had decided to test just how willing – it had traveled to the forbidden territory. Miroku winced. This was not the best way to keep her hard-won trust.But Kagome didn't seem to notice (how could she not notice?) or– and this was absolutely ludicrous – she just might not mind.And with this, his hand traveled back up to the small of her back, and Kagome shivered slightly, eyes closed.Ah. This was very tempting.Miroku stared at the front seat unhappily, knowing that Kagome's mother was there (damn the woman for existing sometimes) and that even a (relatively) short kiss was out of the question.The truth was that Inuyasha had not at all scared him away. If he'd had any kind of weapon on hand at all, he could've taken care of the hot-headed hanyou. The only thing that had frightened him had been that Kagome might go on to better prospects' after reuniting with her half-demon.Obviously, he thought as he rubbed circles on her lower back, this was not a problem.It was, therefore, with great anticipation that he let Kagome help him out of the car and into her bedroom (she'd insisted he sleep in her bed so she could watch over him – pity she wasn't going to sleep there too). The stairs were agonizing, but the soft mattress at the  
end was all worth it. Truly, he'd been through worse, and slept on the floor. In comparison, this was heaven.As soon as he was settled in, though, Kagome kissed him on the forehead hesitantly, and he decided there were better things to come. She moved to pull away, then, but he stopped her with a hand at the nape of her neck, guiding her lips carefully to his. Kagome was led willingly by his light touch, as though she'd just been waiting for it, and the pain of a few broken bones suddenly seemed rather insignificant in the long run when he had this to look forward to each day."No insane hanyous going to jump me possessively this time?" he murmured wryly against her.And then – surprisingly – Kagome pulled away."What?" she asked.Miroku was sorry he'd ever spoken. "Nothing.""No," Kagome said, "you said something. What was it?"Miroku sighed. "Nothing important. I was joking, Kagome."But something about his remark had hit her the wrong way, and the room was suddenly empty again, save for he himself. Really, it was stupid – he was the only one that had anything to be unhappy about in regards to Inuyasha.Wasn't he?

**…………………**

**Next Author: **Chubbies

**Due Date: **July 18th

**Group Info:** This Round Robin is sponsored by the members of MonkandMiko Yahoo! group, a fan listing of the InuYasha pairing of Miroku/Kagome. The group features fan fiction, fan art, links, chat, contests, and social interaction with other Miroku/Kagome fans. To join: **h t t p: groups. yahoo. com/ group/ monkandmiko **(Remove spaces) 

What's better than one alternative InuYasha pairing? Two alternative InuYasha couplings! MonkandMiko is now the affiliate of Kakera-no-Ai, an InuYasha/Sango fanlisting. Similar to MnM, you'll find fan fiction, pictures, group discussions, polls, chat, etc. to keep you occupied! To join: **h t t p: groups. yahoo. com/ group/ K n A******


	22. Sir Lovulots and the New Nurse

**General Info: **Round Robin #1 for the MonkandMiko Yahoo! group.

**Title: **Bed Ridden

**Summary: **He's lived through a cursed hand, demons, and a hanyou with an attitude- but can our sixteenth century houshi take the stimulation of the twentieth century? [MK]

**Rating: **PG-13

**Chapter Author: **Chubbies

**Chapter Summary: **Poor, poor Miroku. What won't you molest?

**Disclaimer: **Does anyone even really care?

**General Info****:** MonkandMiko is currently sponsoring a new fanfiction competition. The contest challenge: **Write a one-shot depicting Miroku and/or Kagome's****worst nightmare. (Must contain an MK twist)** All are invited to take part in this contest, for rules and guidelines go to MonkandMiko Yahoo! Group. (It's under the files section in the Contest 2 file)The contest will begin July 5th, and run through August 5th. **h**** t t p: groups. yahoo. com/ group/ monkandmiko******

* * *

****

**Chapter 22: Sir Lovulots and the New Nurse**

****

She walked in the room wearing those cute pajamas of hers. The pair of shorts that show an obscene amount of leg with a purple tank top. Buddha, purple is a nice color on her. Now if only she'd come a little closer, I could show her how much I appreciate her choice. She looks so sad standing by the bed. And cold. These blankets are so warm, it'd only be right. Gentlemanly, even. That's why, for her own good of course, I pulled her into bed next to me. She let out a surprised squeak, but relaxed as my arm found their way around her torso. Perfectly innocent, might I add. I hugged her close to me and she sighed out words I thought I'd never hear.   
  
"I love you."   
  
I could hear my heart beating in my chest and hugged her again to make sure it was real.   
  
"I love you."   
  
I hugged her closer and nuzzled my face into her fur.   
  
"I looove you."   
  
Wait, what?

* * *

Kagome awoke from her new bed: a horrid, uncomfortable cot set up in the den. How she longed for her own soft, queen-sized bed, but alas, no. Not that she minded sharing with a certain injured monk. 'Serves him right,' she thought to herself. 'Although, he did say he didn't mean what he said.' She thought over this on her way to check up on her patient.   
  
As she reached her door, she contemplated knocking. It was her room, after all. Did she really have to knock to enter her own room? But then again, she didn't want to just barge in on him like that. I mean, what if he had kicked off his blankets during the night and was currently only in those sexy black silk boxers they had gotten for him? Deciding not to examine her reasons, she silently opened the door and walked in.   
  
And promptly died laughing.   
  
Miroku was on her bed where she left him last night, but he was not alone. Next to him, or rather, underneath him, was her favorite childhood teddy bear, Sir Lovulots. She remembered how she would hug him and he would respond with "I love you." Alas, Sir Lovulots may never be the same again. Once her mighty, noble savior of bad dreams and lonely days, he was now reduced to preverted houshi's plaything.   
  
Miroku now had his face nuzzling Sir Lovulots' cheek with his hands roaming along the length of his fur. Had she not been so preoccupied with holding in insane bouts of laughter, she might have been slightly turned on and jealous of her precious teddy. Of course, right now she was just concentrating on not peeing herself while thinking of a ... gentle way to wake up the sleeping monk. As if sensing her distress, Miroku slowly roused from his sleep.

* * *

Jii-chan's and Mrs. Higurashi's morning game of shogi was suddenly interrupted by a loud shout followed by hysterical laughing.   
  
"Jii-chan?"   
  
"I don't even want to know."

* * *

"Ok, so, because you just had to land yourself in the hospital again, they decided to send a nurse by today to check and make sure you're healing properly," Kagome explained to Miroku. A mischievous grin made its way to his face, that was rewarded with a firm smack to his head. "Nuh uh, mister. Don't even think about it. I made sure they knew to send a male nurse." She frowned and mumbled, "not that I should need to make sure." Miroku barely caught her hurt words and instantly regretted his joke.   
  
"Kagome, I ..." his words were cut off by her mom calling Kagome downstairs.   
  
She straightened her back, smiled at him and left the room. He listened to her footsteps going down the stairs and strained to hear the voices downstairs. There was also...laughter? He caught the words 'nurse' and 'poor guy' before the footsteps were making their way back up the stairs. The door was slowly opened and in stepped Kagome and the nurse.   
  
And Miroku nearly growled.   
  
Because Kagome was way too happy then she should have been in the company of any male other than himself. And because the nurse didn't seem to mind that Kagome was leading him by the arm into the room.   
  
"Miroku," Kagome started excitedly, "this is your nurse, Yoh." She went on to talk more about him, but Miroku stopped listening.   
  
Miroku grunted. This 'Yoh' was a good 6'5 of lean, muscular male. He had deep blue eyes and short spiky hair. His muscles were visible underneath his fitted polo shirt. However, Miroku was sure he could take him down if necessary, such as if he didn't get his arm from around Kagome's shoulder.   
  
"...'s brother. Isn't that great, Miroku!" He finally tuned back into her. 'Great,' he thought glumly, 'she already knows his family.' He let out a grunt of pain, causing Nurse-man to blush slightly, remembering he was here on business, not pleasure. 'Bastard.'   
  
The exam was fairly difficult with Miroku being as uncooperative as possible. Kagome looked on in concern, nearly making him behave.   
  
After a dressing change and a few care instructions, Yoh finally left, but not before promising Kagome to come back in a few days. 'Double bastard.'   
  
Kagome saw him to the door and returned to an irate monk.   
  
"What's wrong with you?" Kagome asked upon seeing his cloudy disposition. He glared at her before responding.   
  
"You know, I gotta ask myself if this is really worth it." She gave him a confused look.   
  
"This?"   
  
"This." He gestured to Kagome and himself. "Us. Maybe it's not worth the effort. Maybe karma is coming back to me, making me fall for a girl who is just like who I used to be."   
  
"Fall for..."   
  
"Or maybe I just should have known better than to go after someone who would so unhesitantly transfer her attention from one guy to another."   
  
"What are you.."   
  
"Kagome," he stopped her, turning his head to look into her eyes. "I...." he paused, "just go." With that, he turned to his side, feigning disinterest in the suspicious sniffing sound behind him. He heard her footsteps leaving. He followed them all the way down the stairs and heard the front door slam until he finally let the sole tear travel down his cheek.

* * *

Ayumi hummed happily to herself as she prepared to knock on her dear friend's door. She lifted her hand to knock right before the door swung open to reveal Kagome looking every bit distressed and a little surprised.   
  
"Hey Kagome. You okay?" she asked, receiving a fake smile in return.   
  
"Hey Ayumi, I was just going out for a walk or something. Wanna come with?" Ayumi nodded, ready to take any opportunity to find out what was wrong with her friend. They walked about a half a block before she seemed to remember the reason for her visit in the first place.   
  
"So, Kag-chan, did my brother Yoh come by yet?"   
  
Kagome just gave her a sad smile.

* * *

Kirara dashed back to the campsite to rouse her mistress. Upon reaching her destination, she found Sango asleep in her blanket. A few nudges was all it took to waken the slumbering exterminator.   
  
"Kirara, what is it?" she asked sleepily. Kirara simply meowed and transformed, urging her mistress to climb on her back. "Uhh.." Sango reluctantly climbed on, and was jolted awake by Kirara's hasty departure.   
  
They rode on for a few minutes before coming to a clearing. In it were two figures. Kirara took them into a tree that was downwind from the couple.   
  
Sango looked closer to realize that it was Inuyasha and Kikyou. They were discussing something. At first she could only make out a few words, as well as Kagome and Miroku's names. Her eyes widened as she finally registered what they were talking about. She looked at Kirara and they were off in the direction of Keade's village.

* * *

****

**Next Author: **Crash

**Due Date: **July 25, 2004

**Group Info: **This Round Robin is sponsored by the members of MonkandMiko Yahoo! group, a fan listing of the InuYasha pairing of Miroku/Kagome. The group features fan fiction, fan art, links, chat, contests, and social interaction with other Miroku/Kagome fans. To join: **h t t p: groups. yahoo. com/ group/ monkandmiko **(Remove spaces) 

What's better than one alternative InuYasha pairing? Two alternative InuYasha couplings! MonkandMiko is now the affiliate of Kakera-no-Ai, an InuYasha/Sango fanlisting. Similar to MnM, you'll find fan fiction, pictures, group discussions, polls, chat, etc. to keep you occupied! To join: **h t t p: groups. yahoo. com/ group/ K n A******


	23. Confessions of a NotSoBroken Heart

**General Info: **Round Robin #1 for the MonkandMiko Yahoo! group.

**Title: **Bed Ridden

**Summary: **He's lived through a cursed hand, demons, and a hayou with an attitude- but can our sixteenth century houshi live through the stimulation of the twentieth century? [MK]

**Rating: **PG-13

**Chapter Author: **Crash

**Chapter Summary: **Miroku is mad, Kagome is sad, and Risa gets the biggest shock of her life. Too bad she doesn't know it's just a bad joke.

**Disclaimer: **I hold no rights to Inuyasha in any way.

**General Info: **MonkandMiko is currently sponsoring a new fanfiction competition. The contest challenge: **Write a one-shot depicting Miroku and/or Kagome's worst nightmare. (Must contain an MK twist)** All are invited to take part in this contest, for rules and guidelines go to MonkandMiko Yahoo! Group. (It's under the files section in the Contest 2 file)The contest will begin July 5th, and run through August 5th. **h**** t t p: groups. yahoo. com/ group/ monkandmiko**

**Author Note: **Well, I was going for angst, but it didn't stay that way for long. Hope everyone enjoys anyway.

* * *

****

**Chapter 23: Confessions of a Not-So-Broken Heart**

****

She was doing it again.  
  
Well, she wasn't actually DOING anything. She was just sitting there, in the chair she'd pulled over to the bed side from her desk.  
  
But he had thought that she would have gotten the point after three days of silence.  
  
Then again, she didn't actually say anything. She just sat there. Staring at her hands folded neatly in her lap.  
  
At meal times, she would fetch a tray with some food on it for him, help him sit up, and then just watch him eat, not saying a single  
word. Afterwards, she would take the tray back downstairs and would leave him alone for a while. But she always came back.  
  
She hadn't even left the room when Yoh had come again, earlier that day, to check on his wounds. She just stood in a corner while the bandages were removed, his wounds checked, and new bandages were put on. She had walked Yoh to the door of the room, and just before he left, Yoh had glanced at Miroku, then Kagome, a worried look in his eye. "Problems?" he had asked, but Kagome had only shook her head and flashed Yoh a fake smile when he ruffled her hair.  
  
Miroku scoffed at himself. He was practically behaving as a child about all this. But she was the one that kept flip-flopping her  
attentions from male to male.  
  
He rolled to his side, his back facing the chair she would come in and occupy at any moment, and evened out his breathing. Maybe if she thought he was asleep, she might leave him to his thoughts for a while. He couldn't think straight with her around.

* * *

Kagome poked her head in the door and saw that Miroku was asleep. With a sigh she walked into the room, closing the door behind her, and took up her seat by his bed.  
  
There were so many things she wanted to tell him, but she just couldn't bring herself to say them when he was awake. So many things she wanted to ask him, but her throat wouldn't let the words out. Words that she could release in the safety of his slumber.  
  
"I'd like to think we're worth it. I've had lots of time to think about it actually, and I know you're worth it," Kagome started out in  
a quiet voice. "The question is, do you think I'm worth it? Even with all your silly little quirks, I can't help but feel that I'm  
falling in love with you." Kagome snorted. "Who am I kidding? I'm already in love with you. You're just irresistible." She paused  
again to sigh dejectedly. "I just hope I'm not wasting my time with you. I know I'll cherish all my memories with you. But I don't want to even think of what I would do if you went off with someone else after you go back to the past. I can't even stand the thought," she told him, tears streaking down her cheeks.  
  
"I love you, and I don't think I could love anyone else after you. I've come to realize that my feelings for Inuyasha were just a silly  
crush. He could never make me feel the way you do when you just look at me. And I've missed that over the last few days." Kagome paused to get her tears under control, not noticing that the lump of a person that she had been talking to had rolled over to look at her with concerned violet eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry for whatever I did that upset you when Ayumi's older brother was here. I was just so happy to see him, cause I haven't  
seen him since I was ten years old," she sobbed out.

* * *

Miroku's heart clenched and he wanted to beat himself over his head with his staff. The male nurse had been her friend's older brother. And now, he was making her cry.  
  
Silently, he sat up and scooted over to the edge of the bed, wincing when sore muscles protested. When he was within reached, he wrapped his arms around Kagome's shoulders and pulled her closer, letting her cry on his shoulder. It was the least he could do after he made her cry. Miroku felt her wrap her arms around his waist as she cried into his chest, and he let her.  
  
Miroku just brushed his fingers through her hair and rubbed her back, trying to soothe her internal aches, while his mind tried to wrap around what she had said.  
  
She loved him.  
  
The hentai monk.  
  
"I love you," Miroku murmured into Kagome's hair as he tucked his nose into the crook of her neck.  
  
"You were awake," Kagome squeaked out. She felt his nod against her neck and hugged him even tighter, careful of his wounds. "Good; means I don't have to say all that stuff again."  
  
"There is one thing I'd like to hear on a regular basis," Miroku spoke from the mass that was her hair.  
  
"What's that?" Kagome asked.  
  
Miroku pulled back to look her in the eyes. "I love you," he whispered as he leaned in and kissed her on the lips.  
  
Kagome smiled against his lips. "I love you," she vowed before she deepened the kiss.  
  
Miroku pulled back, against his better judgment, or maybe it was his better judgment that made him pull back. "Good. I hope you'll keep that in mind when I tell you this. You need some sleep. You look like hell," he told her with a smile.  
  
"That's because someone stole my bed, so I have to sleep on a very uncomfortable cot in the living room," Kagome said, sticking her tongue out at Miroku.  
  
He couldn't resist. He just couldn't. Leaning forward, Miroku took her tongue into his mouth and sucked on it gently. His ego crowed in triumph when she leaned into him almost immediately and opened her mouth, giving him access. Knowing that Kagome needed rest, Miroku pulled back, reluctantly breaking the kiss. Scooting back on the bed, Miroku pulled her with him.  
  
Understanding what he was trying to do, Kagome followed after him, sliding underneath the sheet with him. "My mother would kill me if she found us like this," she muttered as she snuggled up against his side, mindful of his injuries. "Or even worse, I'd get another dangers of premarital sex' talk," she joked, slowly drifting off to sleep, the toll of her comfortable bed and a warm Miroku  
beside her taking their effect on her.  
  
Miroku looked down at a now sleeping Kagome and smiled. She loved him. And just then, that was all that mattered.  
  
Naraku.  
  
The wind tunnel.  
  
Getting an heir.  
  
None of that bothered him. He had all he'd ever want or need laying right beside him. And with her, he felt he could conquer the world.  
  
"You're worth it," he whispered before allowing himself to drift to sleep as well.

* * *

Risa stood outside her daughter's bedroom door. Kagome hadn't come down to get dinner for Miroku, and she hadn't reappeared anywhere. This was the only place she hadn't looked. Which is what she was afraid of. Considering some of the positions she had walked in on them in, she was afraid of what she would see when she opened the closed door.  
  
She didn't know what the feudal monk wanted with her daughter, but whatever it was, it had better be honorable.  
  
Steeling her resolve, Risa opened the door and looked into the room, her eyes instantly drawn to the two figures on the bed. Kagome was curled up against Miroku's side, sound asleep, while he sat there, just watching her sleep. All hands were clearly visible and in appropriate places.  
  
She opened her mouth to say something, but Miroku's eyes flicked to her face, and he held a finger up to his lips. She watched as he carefully, silently, crawled from the bed, his face twisting into a wince once when his movements stressed the stitches a little too  
much. Risa nearly smiled when he grabbed the blue fleece robe they had gotten for him, but noticed that he only loosely tied the belt. He grabbed his cane and hobbled towards her, and motioned to the hallway with his head.  
  
Risa opened the door enough to let him out, and then closed it behind them, leaving Kagome asleep. She followed Miroku to the guest room and let him get seated before she started.  
  
"What are you intentions with my daughter?" she asked, getting straight to the point.  
  
"We love each other," Miroku responded calmly, almost as if he had been expecting this from her.  
  
"That's nice. But what do you intend to do about that?" Risa asked.  
  
"I want to marry her," he responded honestly.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"By the way, how do you feel about grandchildren?" Miroku asked with a smile as he got up and left the room.  
  
A minute later, the house shook. "WHAT?!?!?!"

* * *

****

**Next Author: **Crimson Demon

**Due Date: **July 26, 2004

**Group Info: **This Round Robin is sponsored by the members of MonkandMiko Yahoo! group, a fan listing of the InuYasha pairing of Miroku/Kagome. The group features fan fiction, fan art, links, chat, contests, and social interaction with other Miroku/Kagome fans. To join: **h t t p: groups. yahoo. com/ group/ monkandmiko **(Remove spaces) 

What's better than one alternative InuYasha pairing? Two alternative InuYasha couplings! MonkandMiko is now the affiliate of Kakera-no-Ai, an InuYasha/Sango fanlisting. Similar to MnM, you'll find fan fiction, pictures, group discussions, polls, chat, etc. to keep you occupied! To join: **h t t p: groups. yahoo. com/ group/ K n A******


	24. Interruptions? No, never!

**General Info: **Round Robin #1 for the MonkandMiko Yahoo! group.

**Title: **Bed Ridden

** Summary: **He's lived through a curse hand, demons, and a hanyou with an attitude- but can our sixteenth century houshi live through the stimulations of the twentieth century?

**Rating: **PG-13

**Chapter Author: **Crimson Demon

**Chapter Summary: **Why little brothers aren't all what they're cracked up to be.

**Disclaimer: **Too tired to think up anything else besides- I don't own. Blah.

**Group Info: **MonkandMiko is currently sponsoring a new fanfiction competition. The contest challenge: **Write a one-shot depicting Miroku and/or Kagome's worst nightmare. (Must contain an MK twist)** All are invited to take part in this contest, for rules and guidelines go to MonkandMiko Yahoo! Group. (It's under the files section in the Contest 2 file)The contest will begin July 5th, and run through August 5th. **h**** t t p: groups. yahoo. com/ group/ monkandmiko**

* * *

********

************

**********Chapter 24: Interuptions? No, Never!**

****************

Kagome awoke with a startled jump at the loud roar of, "WHAT?!" but after a few long moments of hearing nothing further, she sleepily dismissed it as her dreams and fell back into deep sleep. Miroku entered the room not moment's later, a perfectly wicked grin plastered on his handsome face, knowing that this would probably come back to bite him in the rear later, but still, it was so worth it. He closed the door with a soft kick and made his way back over to the bed where Kagome was still asleep; even after her mother's loud demanding that he explain himself. Hand reaching down to tug at the ties of his blue robe, he pulled it off and tossed it on the back of one of the chairs she used when she was studding at her desk. Pulling back the pink sheets of her bed, he slid back in beside her, grimacing when his stitches pulled once more. Shifting until he was comfortable on his back with the younger girl curled up against his side as she was before her mother interrupted them.  
  
She loved him.  
  
Loved him.  
  
Still, his mind didn't seem to want to wrap around this fact- even if it was exceedingly gratifying. What he was sure was a huge, idiotic smile crossed his face but he really didn't care. Bringing an arm up to wrap around her, he fell back into a wonderfully warm and peaceful dreamland.

* * *

**  
  
** Late that night, Kagome awoke once more, this time with a startled gasp, seeing a pair of huge eyes mere millimeters from her own face. "AUGH!" She sat up with a shrill scream, inadvertently putting her hands down to push herself up, and one hand feeling the bed, the other landing squarely on the sleeping monk's stomach (narrowly missing his healing injuries). This prompted the cat on her chest to let out a yowl and leap off of her, landing on the bare chest of the now very awake Miroku, claws extending and digging in before leaping off. Kagome whipped her head around, and caught sight of her hand splayed on his stomach, yelped again, and jerked back so hard that she fell off the bed, and sprawled out on the floor with the wind knocked out of her painfully.  
  
Footsteps hurried up the stairs, the door bursting open with three concerned faces becoming vaguely visible. Souta, rolling his eyes once he saw what was going on, simply waved his hand as a dismissal, and staggered back to his room. The sight that met both Risa's eyes, and that of her grandfather's, was Miroku leaning over one side of the bed with his head turned toward the door, face the epitome of innocence, Kagome lying on the floor on her back, panting for a breath. Buyo was the least worried of the trio, licking absently at his paws, watching the two with a feline look of boredom.  
  
"What is going on?" Risa demanded, eyes flashing from each of the people in the room. Kagome sat up with a groan, brushing back her sleep-messed hair and blinking owlishly.  
  
"I knew it! I knew it! Evil spirits are here, and it's all because of this ancient-"  
  
"Jii-chan!" The older woman snapped, thwacking him on the head gently with the flat of her hand. He glared at her, as intimidating as he could, but sadly for an old man who barely hit five feet, he was not terribly frightening. "Jii-chan, why don't you head back to bed, I'll make sure these two are all right." A much more evil glare was sent toward Kagome, who smiled sheepishly back.  
  
Grumbling about spirits and evil, non-believing human's, he walked back to his room, leaving the three alone. "Mama- it wasn't something that-"  
  
"I assure you that nothing-"  
  
"Mrow."  
  
"I honestly don't want to know." Risa tugged a hand through her hair, a sigh escaping her. "I realize that you weren't doing anything, as you were asleep." A relieved look crossed Kagome's face, as she pushed herself up to sit on the bed. Miroku shifted slightly to let her have room, smothering a yawn. "Now, you should both get back to sleep, Miroku, you're still recovering and Kagome, I know that you're still tired from getting so little sleep." Kagome grinned sleepily, grabbing a pillow and hugging it close. "Goodnight you two..."  
  
Was she doing the right thing? Her Kagome had grown up so fast ever since she turned fifteen, met the half-demon Inuyasha (who she wondered about, she hadn't seen him in such a long time) and had to put the Shikon Jewel back together. Was this monk as trust-worthy as she wanted to believe? And again, what about Inuyasha? Didn't Kagome love him?  
  
Turning the corner, into her own room, Risa made a mental note to ask Kagome when they got up tomorrow morning.

* * *

******  
** "But mom!" Shifting restlessly from foot to foot, Souta, pouting as best he could, begged. "Please mom?! Kagome said that they'd be up by 10! And it's almost noon! So I need to wake them up! It-it's my duty!" His mother cocked an eyebrow at him, knowing from many experiences, that he was planning something to do to his older sister.  
  
"If she gets you back, I pretend not to notice, just so you know."  
  
His eyes widened. "Yes, Souta, that means that she can get you back for whatever you are thinking about doing. Is it really worth it?"  
  
There was a moment of silence as Souta contemplated, "Yes!" And then he rushed out the shoji door, no doubt getting the things he needed to pull off his own rendition of a wake-up call.

* * *

'I will never get tired of waking up like this.' Stroking a finger over the sleeping girl's face, he grinned when she mumbled something under her breath. 'Never, not in a thousand years, will I tire of this.' Leaning down, he pressed a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth, delighting when she turned her head blindly searching for his own lips. "Good morning..." He murmured, running his fingertips across her cheek again. Brown eyes flickered open and a smile crossed her own lips as she awoke slowly.  
  
"Hi..." Reaching a hand up to rub at her eyes, she yawned hugely, and then stretched leisurely. "What time is it?" He shrugged slightly; instead opting to cover her own body with his and kiss her silly.

* * *

**********  
** Silently, he crept in to the room, not using the window as he had wanted too, knowing that they would hear it if one of them was awake. So he used the hallways, making sure that his feet did not make a creak that would announce his arrival before he could complete what he had set out to do. Hand slowly turning the doorknob, he peeked in the room, and resisted the urge to gag at the sight. Instead, he reached in to his small pouch that he had brought, and pulled out a round; large, white, water filled balloon. Taking aim carefully, he used his other hand to bring the whistle to his lips.  
  
In a quick movement, he threw the balloon at the monk's back and blew on the whistle as hard as he possible could, creating a sharp, piercing noise that he was sure startled them more then the water balloon did. Knowing that if he stuck around, he would be in deeper trouble then if he ran, he grabbed the door handle and yanked it shut before making his way as fast as he could out the door and to safety.  
  
Inside the room however, a particularly well-drenched monk was staring down at an equally stunned girl, "What...was... that?" He asked softly, feeling water run down his legs and sides. She resisted the urge to snicker at his face and settled for pushing him gently off of her, and grimacing when she noticed that she had gotten wet as well.  
  
"My brother's demented sense of humor. It was a water balloon, lovely invention, no?" Shaking her head as she pushed herself out of the bed as well, the girl sighed once more. "I need a shower." She added, once she remembered his earlier comment of, 'You need some sleep, you look like hell.' Glaring at Miroku when he smirked, she added, "Don't say it."  
  
He fluttered his eyelashes, trying to look slightly innocent. "I wasn't going to…"  
  
"Don't think it then."  
  
"Too late, my dear Kagome, much, much too late."

* * *

**************  
** The gods seemed to be allied against them, as both Miroku and the freshly washed Kagome realized very soon that afternoon. Not only had Souta ruined their morning escapade, but also it then seemed as if every single person that they knew or had come in to contact with (however slightly) was intent on interrupting any moment that they got alone. First, had been the bathroom, where he had walked in on her after she had showered ('Accident?' Kagome had wondered later on. 'Ha, I think not.') And had kissed her silly once more. As if planned, Jii-chan walked in on the two, seeing Miroku's hand where it was not suppose to be, and had chased him around the house shouting out, "Keep your hands off of my granddaughter!"  
  
As if that wasn't bad enough, once Jii-chan had left to go and work on the shrine, Risa had wanted Kagome to clean up the house while she did some heavy shopping. This wasn't a problem; it meant alone time for them, right? No, of course not- it couldn't be that easy. Just as soon as Miroku had wrapped his arms around her waist, there was a knock at the door and the phone began ringing. "You have got to be kidding me…" Kagome had whispered against his lips, sighing slightly before pulling away to answer the door. This brought them to the current moment.  
  
Yoh stood there, a smile on his face, and when she heard Miroku very nearly sigh, "Hello, Yoh, I take it you're here to help me with-"  
  
It hit her.  
  
Hard.  
  
"THAT'S IT!" She had crowed, doing a victory dance that had both the men staring at her, one in concern, and the other in amusement. "Oh, please come in, I need to talk to someone really, really fast! Honest, I'll be quick!" Jerking the older man inside unceremoniously, Kagome smiled once, then darted to where Miroku was holding the phone in his hand, staring at her quizzically. She reached out with one hand and yanked it from his, patted him on the head with the other hand before she spoke, "Hi…. Sorry about that...Yes, this is Kagome…" Miroku, almost all past animosity gone toward the other man, raised an eyebrow. "Right then…"  
  
Yoh resisted the urge to grin. "Is she always like this? I haven't seen her since…forever…" There was a nostalgic pause as both men watched the girl chat on the phone, absently nodding and twirling the cord around one finger. "She's changed a lot since I last saw her…" Sending the still-injured monk a speculative look, he frowned suddenly. "You like her then?" 'But that's her cousin...Or is he? I remember Ayumi telling me that something wasn't quite...right about it...' "And you're not her cousin, are you...?"  
  
Almost not hearing him, it took a moment for the words to soak in, but when they did, Miroku jerked his head around sharply. "What?" Yoh raised his eyebrows. "I said…you like her then?" Moments of watching the dark haired man move his mouth, and have nothing come out prompted Yoh to realize that he was right. " Ah...And then I take it you are not really her cousin?" There was another silence, only broken by Kagome who was unaware of the tension between the two men. Yoh nodded his head once as he put all the pieces of the puzzle together. "If you hurt her, whatever happened to you earlier," He gestured vaguely to the stitches in Miroku's stomach. "Will seem like a pinprick." Even if the monk doubted the fact that a human who had probably never had any training could actually take him, he was sure that he would try. "Do we have an understanding?"  
  
"If you wish to call it that. But know this, I won't hurt Kagome, in any such way, so your fears are…. Unneeded." A cold smirk crossed his lips, before he heard the click of the phone being replaced, and felt Kagome lay a hand on his shoulder. "What did Yoko-sama want?" Kagome turned her bright smile on to Yoh this time; "You're single right?"  
  
Miroku's eyes widened as he realized what she meant while Yoh floundered for a response, shooting Miroku helpless looks. "O-Of course….But Kagome…Kagome-san, I really don't think that-"  
  
"Oh! I know the perfect person for you then! She's single too! I know that you'll get along-her name's Yoko-" Kagome continued rambling excitedly as she groped around for a piece of paper and a pen, hurriedly writing down the woman's number. "Here!" She thrust the tiny slip of paper at the startled male nurse, and grinned. "She'll be perfect for you, you'll be great for each other. For a first date, I'd take her to Zapulli's." Throughout the entire ordeal, Miroku was covering his snickers with one hand, shoulders shaking in mirth. "Shouldn't I check your um.... Cousin?" He glanced at the two of them for a moment, before Kagome shook her head, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.  
  
"Ah...No...I'm sure that I can take care of that...Later...."  
  
"Yes....Well then, I suppose I should be...going then..." Bowing at the two of them, he turned the door handle, and was a step out before "You're going to call her right?"  
  
Yoh smiled. "Of course."  
  
And then he was gone. And they were left alone. An eyebrow cocked, the invitation clearly obvious. Kagome shook her head, and glanced at the clock on the wall, her mother was due back in a half-hour. "We'll be interrupted. Give it a couple minutes...I'm sure something will happen, and if we'd started anything, we'd be interrupted..." Miroku briefly debated telling her about the conversation with her mother last night, and decided against it.  
  
A minute passed.  
  
"There is no way that we'll just have a half an hour before my mom gets home. No way." Kagome glanced at the phone, expecting it to ring at any second.  
  
Another minute passed.  
  
"Simply no way that we'd be that lucky to have that long to...ahem..." Kagome twiddled her thumbs while whistling. Miroku contemplated throwing her over his shoulder, and ravishing her in the bathroom. That certainly sounded promising. Much more so then the current situation.  
  
Another minute.  
  
His hands twitched. "Any minute now, Mom's gonna walk in and if we'd been doing anything, then she'd yell at us..." Again, he neglected to tell her of the previous night's conversation.  
  
Another minute.  
  
His eyes rolled heavenward. 'Screw it.' In a swift moment, he bent down, ignoring the pulling of his stitches and threw her over his shoulder like a bag of rice. Her breath left her in a, "Whoosh" and she fell against his back. Startled, she craned her neck up enough to see the clock, and sighed, relaxing against him, "We're going to get caught- I know it."  
  
"Hush up, Kagome..." He sighed, patting her bottom gently, relishing in the huff of irritation that it elicited. Carefully, he made his way up the stairs in to her bedroom. "You're much too pessimistic... Now, I have things I'd like to do." 'You.' "And this is the perfect time to do them." 'You.' "So I'd much rather not waste anymore time speaking of stupid things, when it's obvious I could be using my time better, and more productively." 'Which means, so that I may-' Kagome sighing in resignation at her fate only further ignited his...appetite for her, as he made his merry way to her stairs, to see what they could do in half an hour.

* * *

******************  
** Kagome frantically ran her fingers through her hair, pulling out tangles, and trying to get all signs of yet another make-out session(as she was now calling them...rather fondly...) out of sight. Lips pleasantly swollen after his not-so-chaste kisses, entire body humming from his not-so-innocent touches, she reached down, and splashed cold water on her face.  
  
"Kagome, honey, it's almost dinner time, and could you find Miroku for me? I can't- oh, never mind..." Apparently she had either figured out where he was (Oh gods, please no!) or he had abandoned her bedroom and headed down stairs. Fervently she hoped for the latter of the two.  
  
It appeared for once that day the gods were on their side. Her mother said nothing and aside from Miroku sending her knowing glances over dinner, it went smoothly. Miroku ended up playing video games with Souta, Kagome ended up washing dishes with her mother and everyone  
generally ignored Jii-chan's ramblings of the 'spirits' from the night before.  
  
Night came about quickly and Souta was sent to bed. Kagome was curled up on the couch, watching a movie with Miroku, who really wasn't interested in any of the plot, but made small, "Yes" and "No" and "Right, of course" comments when needed. It was Risa who had really saved the day (or rather, night) when she suggested that Kagome and Miroku go stargazing.  
  
There was a hammock that Jii-chan had gotten from somewhere. "Just sit down..." Kagome prodded him in the side, snickering when he shot her a distrustful look. "Seriously, it's perfectly safe, as long as you don't mess around on it." Sighing, he obeyed her, and sat down, noticing that it sank down quite a few inches, and still moved. "It's supposed to do that, Miroku, you'll be fine. You're paranoid. Now lay back, like you're lying on my bed, okay?" An eyebrow raised, and she smacked him gently. "Not like that you pervert. Now lay back."  
  
He did this as well, and was pleasantly surprised by the smooth rocking movements of the odd contraption. But when Kagome nudged him over a bit, and after much giggling and more pokes in the side, they had gotten situated with her half-lying on top of him comfortably, he was even more pleased. Miroku's left arm snaked around her waist, and his right hand brushed back some stray hair.  
  
"See, I'm right, you should listen to me more often." She commented after a moment, propping herself up on his chest to look at him. Carefully so she wouldn't aggravate his wounds any further, she turned her head so that she could see the night sky. "Hey, see that? It's the KoGuma..." She lifted a hand to point at a cluster of stars. "It means Child Bear, or Little Bear."  
  
Miroku nodded absently, watching her through half-lidded eyes as she pointed out more of the constellations. "-that's Mizugame...it means Water Jar... And those, those are the Gyosha and the Ushikai- they mean the Driver and the Cowherd. And that, that's the OoInu it means Big or Large Dog and-" She hesitated for a moment, her hand falling down and her mood darkening slightly. "I'm sorry...I...I didn't mean to bring that up, not with all that he did, and all that's happened and-"  
  
"I know..." He murmured softly, sliding his arms around her gently, holding her as close as possible. "I love you." She stiffened slightly, and looked up at him with dark eyes.  
  
"Why?" She finally whispered.  
  
"Why what, Kagome?" His voice was low and soft now, hands stroking up and down her back. "Why do I love you?"  
  
"Yes, why? I'm stupid and I'm clumsy most of the time, and I can't fight for.... Well anything, and I'm a terrible-" He silenced her with a fierce kiss, hand sliding down to her bottom with the full intent of groping her, but she stopped him. Sighing, he watched her for a moment more, and then responded.  
  
"Because. You're you." Shrugging was awkward in the hammock, but he managed it. "I just do. I know that you're sometimes clumsy, but you make up for it in taking care of everyone, and I know you can't fight, but you make that up too- you love everyone. And you're not terrible at anything." He kissed the tip of her nose, and smiled at her. "Now shut up, I'm trying to enjoy a moment without interruption."  
  
Kagome grinned, and snuggled close, falling asleep not soon after that. Miroku watched her sleep for some time, before he too, slept.

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**********************************************Next Author: **Juju

**********************************************Due Date: **August 1, 2004

**********************************************Group Info: **This Round Robin is sponsored by the members of MonkandMiko Yahoo! group, a fan listing of the InuYasha pairing of Miroku/Kagome. The group features fan fiction, fan art, links, chat, contests, and social interaction with other Miroku/Kagome fans. To join: **********************************************h t t p: groups. yahoo. com/ group/ monkandmiko **(Remove spaces)

What's better than one alternative InuYasha pairing? Two alternative InuYasha couplings! MonkandMiko is now the affiliate of Kakera-no-Ai, an InuYasha/Sango fanlisting. Similar to MnM, you'll find fan fiction, pictures, group discussions, polls, chat, etc. to keep you occupied! To join:******************************************h t t p: groups. yahoo. com/ group/ K n A**

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	25. Not a Morning Person

**General Info: **Round Robin #1 for the MonkandMiko Yahoo! group.

**Title: **Bed Ridden

**Summary: **He's lived through a cursed hand, demons, and a hanyou with an attitude- but can our sixteenth century houshi live through the stimulations of the twentieth century? [MK]

**Rating: **PG-13

**Chapter Author: **Juju

**Chapter Summary: **Inuyasha's back…

**Disclaimer: **I don't claim to own anything...except this chapter. This was hard to write x.X and it's kind of short, but I tried. CD is evil...lol, your chapter made me hit a dead end. That was very unlegal of you.

**Group Info: **MonkandMiko is currently sponsoring a new fanfiction competition. The contest challenge: **Write a one-shot depicting Miroku and/or Kagome's worst nightmare. (Must contain an MK twist)** All are invited to take part in this contest, for rules and guidelines go to MonkandMiko Yahoo! Group. (It's under the files section in the Contest 2 file)The contest will begin July 5th, and run through August 5th. **h**** t t p: groups. yahoo. com/ group/ monkandmiko**

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**********Chapter 25: Not a Morning Person**

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Morning came all too quickly for Miroku, the sunlight penetrating his eyelids and making him wince and grumble and curse. Slowly, he disentangled himself from Kagome and affectionately brushed a lock of raven hair off of her forehead. He began to get up, then immediately sat back down in the hammock, shuddering. Something was not right.  
  
Angry golden eyes watched him, boring into his back as if trying to pierce his very soul. A feral growl rose in the hanyou's throat as Kagome stretched beside the monk and opened her eyes, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek.  
  
"Good morning..."  
  
There was something in her tone that he didn't like. Somewhere deep inside his web of stubbornness and anger, hatred and denial, Inuyasha  
knew that she loved the monk. But by god, he wouldn't let him have her. She was far too good, too innocent, too sweet, to be corrupted by that pervert.  
  
Meanwhile, Miroku smiled and returned the gesture, then rose to go inside. He knew the hanyou was waiting, of course, and hated having to put Kagome in such a compromising situation, but if Risa or her grandfather were there, maybe they could stop him.  
  
Such a woman should not have to suffer emotionally from a man's indecision...it wasn't fair, it wasn't right. It was selfish of Inuyasha to want both Kagome and Kikyou, and Miroku had to admit, he  
wanted him gone.  
  
Kagome watched the monk leave, feeling a twinge of disappointment. She'd wanted him to stay with her, of course...for a moment, or perhaps all day. She pictured herself beneath him, enjoying another of their deliciously satisfying "make out sessions" without a care in the world.  
  
She closed her eyes, leaning back and trailing her fingertips over a particularly sensitive spot on her neck that the monk had teased and tormented just yesterday. His lips on her skin, his arms around her waist...  
  
A pair of strong, undeniably masculine arms wrapped themselves around her, and she sighed. Perhaps he'd returned prematurely. Perhaps...a warm tongue found the spot below her left earlobe, effectively destroying all rational thought. Kagome raised her hand, running it through his hair...long hair. Maybe Miroku'd taken his hair down or something. Wearing that ponytail all the time couldn't be all that comfortable for him, either.  
  
Her hand wandered up onto the top of the head, toying with the thick bangs she found there. Moving steadily along, her fingertips brushed...ears? Her eyes shot open and a frightened squeak pushed past her lips, the sound easily muffled by a clawed hand.  
  
"I-Inuyasha...?" His eyes narrowed dangerously.  
  
"Of course, wench. Now get up, you're coming with me..." He began to lift her into his arms, bridal style, ignoring her small whimpers of protest.  
  
At that exact moment, Risa burst out the door-brandishing a broom.  
  
"Filthy! Thing! Let go of my daughter, you! Get out of my house! Get off of my porch!" Each word was punctuated by a sharp rap on the top  
of his head from the broom. Inuyasha's ears flattened and he whimpered, letting go of Kagome and slinking off.  
  
He might've lost one battle, but definitely not the war...  
  
He would have her.

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**************************Next Author: **Chiisai-tori

**************************Due Date: **August 1, 2004

**************************Group Info: **This Round Robin is sponsored by the members of MonkandMiko Yahoo! group, a fan listing of the InuYasha pairing of Miroku/Kagome. The group features fan fiction, fan art, links, chat, contests, and social interaction with other Miroku/Kagome fans. To join******:****************h t t p: groups. yahoo. com/ group/ monkandmiko **(Remove spaces)************

What's better than one alternative InuYasha pairing? Two alternative InuYasha couplings! MonkandMiko is now the affiliate of Kakera-no-Ai, an InuYasha/Sango fanlisting. Similar to MnM, you'll find fan fiction, pictures, group discussions, polls, chat, etc. to keep you occupied! To join:**********************h t t p: groups. yahoo. com/ group/ K n A**


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